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From the LA Times
"Generally," she said, "just observing a crime is not an offense."
Los Angeles County's homeless population has dropped 38% since 2007, according to a survey conducted this year by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.
The count, which was conducted over three days in January, pegs the region's homeless population at 42,694, down from 68,808 in 2007.
[Updated at 6 p.m.: We know that things are changing, said Michael Arnold, executive director of the authority. We know, we can sense, we can feel that there's a change out there. These numbers provide us with some documentation, that things are really happening in Los Angeles.
Arnold said the group needs to do further analysis to understand all the reasons behind the drop, which has been mirrored in other cities in the region.
The numbers are striking because they come during a major economic downturn. The recession fueled concerns that more people who lost their jobs would become homeless.
And although there has been an increase in people seeking aid from charity groups, the report says the recession has not translated into more people living on the streets. Arnold said one explanation for the drop in numbers may be that people have moved out of the region to more affordable areas. Los Angeles, he said, is a hard place to be homeless.]
The homeless population is still centered in central and downtown Los Angeles, according to the survey, but the numbers there have dropped even more significantly.
The "metro Los Angeles" reporting area, a swath of land including and immediately surrounding downtown L.A., reports a nearly 50% drop, from 22,030 homeless people counted in 2007 to 11,093 in 2009.
In a news release that accompanied the report, the authority's executive director said the drop in overall homeless numbers can be attributed to efforts by the city, county and local service providers to address poverty and homelessness. Those include L.A. County"s $100-million Homeless Prevention Initiative and the city's push for permanent supportive housing.
The report said the most important change is "a paradigm shift. ... Programs are centered on housing placement of homeless families and individuals and providing the tools and skills they need to stay housed."
The Homeless Services Authority is a joint city-county agency that distributes federal funds to homeless providers. It released preliminary data from the census today.
A summary of the report is available here.
By Joel Rubin and Phil Willon
October 28, 2009
The Los Angeles Police Commission forwarded to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Tuesday the names of three finalists to become the next police chief -- a list that contained no women or minorities, but sparked little initial criticism.
Assistant Chief Jim McDonnell, Deputy Chief Charlie Beck and Deputy Chief Michel Moore will now compete to be chosen by the mayor to replace outgoing Chief William J. Bratton, who steps down Saturday after seven years at the head of the Los Angeles Police Department.
In the not-so-distant past, when tensions between the LAPD and minority communities in the city ran high, the selection of three white men as finalists would almost certainly have set off intense criticism. On Tuesday, however, news of the decision was met generally with praise as officials and outsiders said reforms made under Bratton had largely rendered racial and gender politics a moot point.
John Mack, the commission president and a prominent African American civil rights activist, said he was struck by how little attention was devoted to race and ethnicity when the panel held community meetings throughout the city seeking the public's guidance on a new chief, including in Watts, Crenshaw and the San Fernando Valley.
FOR THE RECORD: An earlier version of this article left out Deputy Chief Charlie Beck's name in a paragraph describing him as a 32-year veteran of the force and the son of a retired LAPD deputy chief. "Seven years ago, there's no question in my mind that race would have been a hot priority," he said. "I'm not naive -- we have not become a colorblind society yet. But I think this is an indication of the progress that's been made by this department.
"We can stand here and say in good conscience that clearly, our ultimate decision . . . really represents who we consider to be the three best candidates for the job."
Moore's father was Basque and Moore is identified in department rosters as Hispanic. His mother was white and his heritage has not played a significant role in defining him within the department.
At a news conference to announce the names, Villaraigosa said his choice looms as possibly "the single most important decision I will make" as mayor. He is scheduled to meet this afternoon with an advisory panel and then interview Beck at Getty House, the mayor's official residence. He'll meet with McDonnell on Thursday, Moore on Friday, and is expected to announce his choice Monday.
Moore , 49, is a 28-year veteran of the LAPD and is widely credited with helping to push down crime rates in the San Fernando Valley during his more than four years in charge of the bureau. As a captain in 2000, Moore was assigned the difficult task of helping to run the department's notorious Rampart Division in the wake of accusations of widespread corruption and abuses.
Beck , 56, is a 32-year veteran of the force and the son of a retired LAPD deputy chief. As commander of the Detective Bureau, he is a popular figure with the rank-and-file, who generally view him as a serious crime-fighter, and with the city's civil rights leaders, who hold him up as a progressive thinker on community relations and police conduct.
McDonnell , 50, has served in the department for 28 years and, in addition to Bratton, has been the public face of the LAPD for several years in his role as chief of staff. Widely respected in the department and beyond, he was a candidate for chief in 2002 and Bratton went on to use an extensive plan developed by McDonnell as a blueprint for reshaping the department. With Bratton's frequent trips out of town, McDonnell has often been called to stand in as chief.
That Beck and McDonnell made the cut came as little surprise to most LAPD observers, as both have been considered front-runners for the post since Bratton announced his decision to step down last month. The selection of Moore was more unexpected, because of his relatively low profile in the department compared to the other two finalists and because of the others who were passed over.
Left out of the finalist group was Assistant Chief Earl Paysinger, an influential commander who oversees the department's Office of Operations and was viewed as a strong contender for the job. Paysinger is also the LAPD's highest-ranking African American officer. Assistant Chief Sharon Papa, who oversees support services and is the department's highest-ranking female, was also thought to have a shot at making the final list.
Having worked with each of the finalists, Villaraigosa is familiar with them, but said he will try to extinguish any preconceived notions. Villaraigosa said the interviews will be critical to his deliberations because he will get a chance to "look them in the eyeball."
"One of the things I loved about Bill Bratton is that, when he told me something, I could take it to the bank," Villaraigosa said. "The next chief has got to be someone that I trust."
Bratton's shadow loomed large over Tuesday's announcement. Both Beck and Moore went out of their way to emphasize that, if chosen, they would work to build on the success Bratton had fighting crime while also pushing through reforms on police conduct and accountability. It is the type of progress that Villaraigosa, commission members and other officials have said they will demand of the next chief. McDonnell did not return calls seeking comment.
Under the terms of the City Charter, the commission ranked the finalists in order of preference. Mack and Villaraigosa declined to reveal the order of the rankings, and the mayor is not obligated to give any weight to the order. If he decides against all three -- something that is considered highly unlikely -- the commission will send him a second tier of names.
The City Council must ratify the mayor's choice. And with a gap of at least a week expected before the council votes, the commission Tuesday appointed Deputy Chief Michael Downing to serve as temporary chief. "I'm going to be put in the role of a shepherd," said Downing, who didn't apply to be chief.
City Council President Eric Garcetti praised the qualifications of each finalist, saying the three "reflect some of the most creative and innovative thinking in the department."
Garcetti added that the mayor's choice will have to prove to council members that he is not only serious about fighting crime but also has developed deep ties with L.A.'s diverse communities.
"It's going to be important for each one of these individuals to illustrate their cultural fluency," Garcetti said. "I'm sure there are those who will be disappointed that this was not a more racially or gender-wise more diverse group, and that's a fair criticism."
By Nicholas Riccardi
October 29, 2009
Reporting from Eldorado, Texas
The first criminal prosecution stemming from a controversial raid on a polygamous sect's compound here began Wednesday with a state prosecutor telling jurors he would prove that a key member of the group illegally had sex with a 16-year-old girl.
Raymond Merrill Jessop, now 38, is charged with sexual assault on a minor, allegedly having fathered a child with the daughter of the sect's self-styled prophet, Warren Jeffs. The girl was one of Jessop's wives, but prosecutors argue that the marriage is not legal in Texas.
"We will ask you to conclude, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Raymond Merrill Jessop is guilty of sexual assault on a woman less than half his age," Deputy Atty. Gen. Eric Nichols told the jury of eight men and four women in a brief opening statement.
Under Texas law, someone can be convicted of sexual assault of a minor, even if the relationship was consensual, if the victim is younger than 17 and not lawfully married to the assailant.
Defense attorney Mark Stevens countered that the state did not have enough evidence to prove a crime had occurred.
"In this country, we don't try people based on their clothes or their hairstyles. And we don't try people on their beliefs or the churches they worship in," he said. "I believe if we stick to the facts and the evidence in this case, that Raymond will do just fine."
Neither side mentioned the explosive circumstances that brought Jessop -- whose father is a top leader of the sect -- to court.
In April 2008, Texas authorities launched a massive raid on the Yearning For Zion ranch, a compound that the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was building outside the small town of Eldorado. The FLDS, a breakaway sect not recognized by the Mormon Church, believes that polygamy brings glorification in heaven.
Officials said they were responding to a call for help from a girl who expected to become a child bride. They removed more than 400 children from the compound, saying it was for the youths' safety.
But the call turned out to be a hoax.
Appellate judges questioned whether Texas had a right to hold the children, and all eventually were returned to the FLDS. There was growing criticism of the operation from civil libertarians, religious freedom groups and officials in Utah who in 2007 had prosecuted Jeffs for overseeing the marriage of a 16-year girl to her older cousin. Jeffs is serving a life prison term for his conviction in Utah as an accomplice to rape.
Texas authorities countered that they were trying to stop the sect from taking root in Eldorado and acting to protect children. Authorities took DNA samples to prove that men in the sect were impregnating underage girls, and they charged 12 sect members with various crimes.
Prosecutors have said that blood tests prove Jessop is the father of the alleged victim's daughter and that she was conceived in November 2004, when her mother was 16 and Jessop was 33. Jessop, they said, has nine wives.
At the time of the raid, there was widespread local distrust of the FLDS. Selecting a jury in Schleicher County, which has about 2,800 residents, was difficult.
The process started Monday, when 153 prospective jurors, including 17 FLDS members, came to a community center that was converted into a courthouse for the trial. On Wednesday, after lawyers and Judge Barbara Walther laboriously interviewed 85 prospective jurors, a panel was seated. All the FLDS members were dismissed.
The trial is expected to take two weeks. Testimony is scheduled to begin today.
Walther, who is based in neighboring Tom Green County, acknowledged that it would be difficult for jurors to avoid hearing about the matter in such a tiny community. She admonished them against any conversations about the case or viewing coverage of it, and extended her warning to some newer forms of media.
"No blogging, no Twittering, no Facebooking," she said.
Associated Press
Police have identified a woman whose nude and battered body was found along a Boulder, Colo., creek 55 years ago, but the case isn't closed: They want to name her killer.
She was buried under a headstone that read "Jane Doe" and remained anonymous until a DNA test revealed that she was Dorothy Gay Howard of Phoenix, officials announced Wednesday . She had been reported missing in March 1954, when she was 18.
The ID was resolved by the Boulder County Sheriff's Office, Internet research and the persistence of local historian Silvia Pettem. Sheriff Joe Pelle, whose department renewed efforts five years ago to find out who the victim was, said a relative provided the genetic sample.
Sheriff's Cmdr. Rick Brough said it was gratifying to know who the woman was, but added that the department wants to find her killer.
"With her identification, a major piece of the puzzle has been added," said Detective Steve Ainsworth, the lead investigator.
Officials say serial killer Harvey Glatman , executed in 1959 in California, might have murdered Howard. Glatman, who confessed to killing three women, had served time in a Colorado prison for violent assaults on women.
"I'm confident now that we will be able to find the missing links that will tie this all together," Ainsworth said.
Sheriff's officials have credited historian Pettem with encouraging them to renew efforts to identify the woman buried in a Boulder cemetery with a gravestone that reads "Jane Doe -- April 1954 -- Age About 20 Years."
Pettem became interested in the woman and her story after visiting the cemetery in the 1990s.
She wrote the book "Someone's Daughter, In Search of Justice for Jane Doe."
"After 55 years, we can put her name on the grave," Pettem said, but the tragedy remains. "I have almost been grieving for her."
The mystery was renewed in 2004 after investigators exhumed the body to extract DNA. A sculpture of her head was made using her reconstructed skull.
Pettem said Howard's great-niece had been following the story on Pettem's website and contacted her, saying the mystery woman might be a relative.
"There was something about this young woman; she just sounded right," Pettem said. "I urged her to contact the sheriff's office."
Howard's younger sister provided DNA, which was a match with Jane Doe. Police said the relatives don't want their names or location released and want Howard to remain buried in Boulder.
Pettem hopes they don't change their minds.
"She's a part of Boulder," Pettem said. "I feel like she belongs."
From the Daily News
Officers lined the hallways of the new Police Administration Building, standing at attention to honor Bratton for his accomplishments during seven years at the helm of a once-troubled agency.
"When I came here, the motto was `too few, for too long asked to do too much with too little,"' Bratton said during an hour-long ceremony before the Los Angeles City Council.
"The department sought to keep itself separate from civilian control from the Police Commission and the political influences of the mayor and City Council. And it didn't work."
Hired in 2002, Bratton worked to change that attitude, and today's Los Angeles Police Department - with support from officials and the public - is now one of the more respected law enforcement agencies in the country.
Law enforcement officials from around the world come to the LAPD to learn about its best practices and see its programs in operation, Bratton said.
During his tenure, the LAPD has grown from about 9,400 officers to 10,000, while more than $1 billion has been spent on new buildings. The most notable is the Police Administration Building which officially opened last Saturday, but the figure includes two stations in the San Fernando Valley, an Emergency Operations Center and improvements to other facilities.
"We owe thanks to the taxpayers who have chosen to invest in this department," Bratton said. "And I owe thanks to the extraordinary men and women of the department."
Bratton gave the same message at his final monthly media briefing and in his final message to sworn officers.
Bratton's last official day is Saturday, when he will turn in his badge and gun and turn over control of the department to interim Chief Michael Downing.
In leaving, Bratton said he believed the department will continue the reforms under whichever of the three finalists for chief is chosen to succeed him - Assistant Chief Jim McDonnell, Deputy Chief Charles Beck or Deputy Chief Michel Moore. The three candidates were by Bratton's side at the news conference, but avoided direct questions about what they will say to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in their interviews for the job.
Villaraigosa began the interviews on Wednesday with Beck and will interview McDonnell today and Moore on Friday. Villaraigosa said he hopes to announce his choice by Monday.
But Wednesday belonged to Bratton.
"Today, we are paying tribute to an extraordinary Angeleno," City Council President Eric Garcetti said. "He might have lived here only seven years, but he will always be a citizen of Los Angeles.
"I've learned a lot from him. There is a tendency in public life to set the bar too low and then be surprised when we surpass it by a point or two. I've learned from him that you have to set the bar high."
Bratton also used the media event to display a prototype of what he called the police car of the future.
With reports that Ford will stop manufacturing the Crown Victoria used by police agencies across the country, Bratton had the LAPD working with the Austrialian National Defense Foundation to develop the new car, using a Pontiac G8 frame and developed to accomodate police officers, with their needs to carry guns and wear bulletproof vests.
Bratton said it is hoped the car, with its built-in computers and cameras, will be manufactured by an American car firm.
Bratton said he appreciated the accolades, but then quoted a poet: "There are no great men or women, only men who respond to extraordinary challenges to do great things."
In looking back over his career - and the abrupt departures he has faced in other police chief jobs - Bratton said Los Angeles stands out over his career.
"Those of us who chose this career, who work here, what it is about is having a career of impact," Bratton said. "I think I saved the best for last."
Later in the afternoon, Bratton was surprised with an emotional "end-of-watch" ceremony, in which hundreds of officers and civilian employees lined up outside the LAPD headquarters to bid farewell.
Emerging from the building to applause, the smiling Bratton shook the officers' hands and gave them hugs.
Taking a microphone, the LAPD's 54th chief - initially choking up and at a loss for words - told the department the last seven years were the most exciting and satisfying time of his professional life.
"Together, we've done so much and together we've had the opportunity to take this department to new levels," Bratton said. "I hope you feel as I do that it was time well spent. I don't think anybody knows as well as I do how hard you have all worked to achieve these goals."
Afterward, Bratton walked to a waiting vehicle and drove down 1st Street, waving to motorcycle officers as an LAPD helicopter performed a flyover.
"He came in and was a breath of fresh air for the department," said LAPD Lt.Phillip Smith. "He came in during some troubling times and added some stability, and I think seven years later we're a better department."
Jaime Ramirez, an LAPD senior clerk typist, said Bratton was a very successful chief.
"I think he will be missed because he was one of the most aggressive chiefs toward crime, especially gang crime," Ramirez said. "He's been very tough on gang crime compared to other chiefs, and he will be greatly missed."
From the Washington Times
Bobby Ross Jr. THE WASHINGTON TIMES
EDMOND, Okla. | Sunlight through a tall stained-glass window reflects off a donated casket as 350 people came to pay tribute to Dwite Morgan's 54 years on earth.
To hear First Christian Church senior pastor Chris Shorow tell it, Mr. Morgan was a fixture in this affluent Oklahoma City suburb -- a man with a life worth celebrating ... even if he was homeless and frequented the church's free-breakfast program.
Better known in this community of 80,000 as "Bicycle Bob," Mr. Morgan spent much of the last 25 years sleeping under the stars -- the same place where police found him stabbed and beaten to death Oct. 18.
Across the nation, there are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of homeless people whose faces and names are well-known to church leaders -- yet those people, like Mr. Morgan, remain on the streets.
"The church is like a billboard, advertising compassion and loving service. So often, they are the ones whose doorbells ring for help," said Charles Strobel, founding director of Room in the Inn, a Nashville, Tenn., program that feeds and houses the homeless in churches and synagogues during the winter.
"Most of the time, if help is given, it's direct emergency services of food, clothing, perhaps shelter and some transportation," said Mr. Strobel, a former Catholic priest.
However, many churches and religious groups seem less eager to confront the more difficult challenge, he said: Social action to bring about real changes and create affordable housing for the poor.
"Until those changes occur," Mr. Strobel said, "people remain on the streets, even to the point of becoming a familiar part of the church family."
A similar situation confronted Jeannette Smith, 66, a homeless woman who slept outside an Atlanta church for more than a year -- the same place where police found her fatally shot Oct. 12.
The West End Church of Christ in Atlanta helped organize a funeral service and offered a $1,000 reward for information about Ms. Smith's death.
"She didn't bother anybody, just kept to herself," church secretary Gayron Johnson said of Ms. Smith, who went from church to church for more than four years and kept her blankets and sparse belongings in a buggy the size of a grocery cart. "What I saw in her was a meek and quiet spirit."
Members at the West End church frequently gave Ms. Smith food and money and encouraged her to go to a shelter, but she wouldn't do it, Mrs. Johnson said. Ms. Smith preferred to sleep on her own. She told members that people were mean to her at the shelter.
"We all wanted to see her off the street and somewhere warm and inside," Mrs. Johnson said. "But she'd be right there the next morning when I came to the church."
But advocates for the homeless say no one really chooses to live on the streets.
Typically, those homeless for more than a year suffer from an untreated mental illness, a substance-abuse problem or a combination of the two, said Neil Donovan, executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless in Washington.
A homeless man who "chooses" to live on the street may really be saying that he's addicted to drinking and can't accept another living arrangement if he can't have his booze, Mr. Donovan said. Or a homeless woman who refuses to go to a shelter may be saying that she got robbed, raped or assaulted there and is afraid to go back.
In a number of cities, a "housing first" approach to caring for the homeless has seen positive results in recent years, Mr. Donovan said.
Rather than ask a homeless person to get clean and sober -- or receive mental health treatment -- before receiving a permanent home, this approach offers housing first and deals with the underlying personal issues later.
"What we have found is, if you're interested in getting someone to leave homelessness, then you have to do it on their terms," said Sam Tsemberis, founder of Pathways to Housing, which has helped find homes for more than 1,000 chronically homeless people in New York, Philadelphia and Washington.
"It's a slow road to recovery, but it's a quick road to ending homelessness," Mr. Tsemberis said of finding homes first and dealing with the mental health and substance-abuse issues afterward.
Earlier this month, a study released by the United Way of Greater Los Angeles indicated that the city could save $20,000 a year per homeless person by placing those on the streets into permanent supportive housing.
University of Southern California researchers studied the costs of caring for four Los Angeles men before and after they got homes. Expenses calculated included emergency-room visits, jail time, alcohol- and drug-abuse services and mental health treatment.
Here in Edmond, at Mr. Morgan's funeral, a well-dressed congregation -- most of whom did not know the real name of "Bicycle Bob" -- sang "Amazing Grace." Women dabbed their eyes with tissues. A few autumn-colored floral arrangements and a battered, beige bicycle painted a picture few had studied for long until this day.
In the days since Mr. Morgan's death, his life circumstances and violent death have prompted a mix of sadness and self-awareness in a suburban community known for its super-sized churches, grocery stores and youth sports complexes.
Church and community leaders paint a portrait of a friendly, mentally ill man who liked riding his bike all over town and sleeping outdoors -- from a chicken coop at his late grandmother's house to an alley behind a feed and garden store where his body was found.
"I bought him a meal or two, a few cups of coffee. I like to think I did my part," said David Hartman, one of hundreds of residents who helped Mr. Morgan in one way or another.
"And yet at the end of Dwite's day, he still died a homeless, familyless man," Mr. Hartman added. "Lots of people did something. No one did enough."
Luis Vieira THE WASHINGTON TIMES
PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil
While U.S. attention has focused on the raging drug war just south of the border in Mexico, the battle to control drugs in Brazil is taking more lives.
Since Mexican President Felipe Calderon declared war on the drug cartels three years ago, 9,500 people have died in drug-related violence, including 5,300 killed last year, according to the Mexican government .
In Brazil, 35,000 people were fatally shot in 2007, and most of the deaths were drug-related. According to the government's public safety secretariat, there are nearly 23,000 drug-related homicides a year.
The drug war in Brazil is centered in its best-known city, Rio de Janeiro, and its slums, known as favelas, where police sometimes fear to tread, as well as in poor neighborhoods of Sao Paulo, Porto Alegre, Recife, Salvador, Curitiba and Belo Horizonte. Gun battles rage between rival gangs that seek to control the lucrative trade, particularly in cocaine, whose use has doubled in recent years in Brazil, according to the United Nations.
The drug war burst into international headlines earlier this month when traffickers in Rio shot down a police helicopter. The crash and an ensuing battle between the traffickers and police and between rival drug gangs killed 39 persons.
Other such crimes have terrified the country in recent years. Drug traffickers kidnapped and murdered a local television reporter, Tim Lopes, in 2002, and a 6-year-old boy died in a car robbery after being dragged outside the car for several miles in another drug-related crime in 2007.
The crime wave is particularly unsettling as Rio prepares to host the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics two years later.
Police have tremendous difficulty apprehending the criminals in the favelas, where residents, fearing for their lives, will not divulge information. The cartels in those areas also bolster popular collaboration by providing food, medicine and other necessities to the desperately poor.
The weapons used by the traffickers are often unregistered; some are stolen from the police and the Brazilian army, according to the British magazine the Economist.
Luis Villamarin, a retired colonel in the Colombian army and author of many books about drug trafficking and counterterrorism, said the cocaine sold in Brazil comes largely from the Colombian Marxist guerrilla group FARC, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
"The capture of Fernando Beira-Mar in 2002 was the first proof," he said, referring to the then-drug-kingpin in Brazil whose dealings with FARC were confirmed by Brazilian and Colombian authorities.
Mr. Villamarin also accused some Brazilian government employees of complicity with the Colombian guerrillas. In July 2008, the magazine Cambio asserted that the laptop of the former FARC leader Raul Reyes included messages from top advisers to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The press office of Brazil's presidency as well as the Justice Ministry have refused to comment on the allegations.
Brazilians turn to drugs for the same reasons that people do elsewhere. A recent survey by the Brazilian Institute for Statistics and Opinion found that 35 percent use drugs to escape from family problems, 15 percent to win acceptance from friends and 9 percent to experience something new.
Another study, by UNICEF, suggested that wealthier Brazilians, not the poor, were the main drug users and noted that 27.8 percent of Brazilian students have reported using drugs.
"A crisis in values is leading people to drugs," said Gilberto Velho, an anthropologist and professor at the federal University of Rio de Janeiro.
Human rights activists say that the use of force against the traffickers treats the symptoms, not the underlying disease. Marcos Rolim, a consultant to UNICEF, says it is better to legalize drugs than fight against them. "Policies of the type 'war on drugs' [have] just produced human deaths," he said. "The legalization of drugs should be considered and tested in Brazil."
Former Rio police chief Rui Machado disagreed.
"What makes Brazil so violent is the destruction of institutions such as family and authorities like police in our society, creating a lack of punishment," he said.
He attributed the inefficiency of the police to the failure of the government in the broader sense.
In the U.S. and Britain, "citizens have a lot of responsibilities; in Brazil, the citizens have just rights," he said.
Mr. Machado, a retired colonel, added that "while the drug traffickers have 21st-century technology to get information, safety authorities have none. It is impossible to make good decisions without information."
Officials are also asking for more help from the federal government.
"There is a national responsibility; it is not just local authorities," said Gilmar Mendes, the minister in charge of the Brazilian Supreme Court, to TV Globo last week. The secretary for public safety in Rio, Jose Beltrame, also asked for more assistance. "The state police are doing the job of federal police," he said. He called the shooting down of the police helicopter Brazil's "9/11."
Brazilian Minister of Justice Tarso Genro denied the criticisms and said the federal government is providing intelligence to local authorities to improve public safety. "There is not a lack of action," he said. "We have a partnership between Ministry of Justice and government of the state of Rio de Janeiro."
From the White House
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you so much, everybody. Thank you so much, and welcome to the White House. There are several people here that I want to just make mention of because they helped to make today possible. We've got Attorney General Eric Holder. (Applause.) A champion of this legislation, and a great Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. (Applause.) My dear friend, senior Senator from the great state of Illinois, Dick Durbin. (Applause.) The outstanding Chairman of Armed Services, Carl Levin. (Applause.) Senator Arlen Specter. (Applause.) Chairman of the Judiciary Committee in the House, Representative John Conyers. (Applause.) Representative Barney Frank. (Applause.) Representative Tammy Baldwin. (Applause.) Representative Jerry Nadler. (Applause.) Representative Jared Polis. (Applause.) All the members of Congress who are here today, we thank you.
Mr. David Bohnett and Mr. Tom Gregory and the David Bohnett Foundation -- they are partners for this reception. Thank you so much, guys, for helping to host this. (Applause.)
And finally, and most importantly, because these were really the spearheads of this effort -- Denis, Judy, and Logan Shepard. (Applause.) As well as Betty Byrd Boatner and Louvon Harris -- sisters of James Byrd, Jr. (Applause.)
To all the activists, all the organizers, all the people who helped make this day happen, thank you for your years of advocacy and activism, pushing and protesting that made this victory possible. You know, as a nation we've come far on the journey towards a more perfect union. And today, we've taken another step forward. This afternoon, I signed into law the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. (Applause.)
This is the culmination of a struggle that has lasted more than a decade. Time and again, we faced opposition. Time and again, the measure was defeated or delayed. Time and again we've been reminded of the difficulty of building a nation in which we're all free to live and love as we see fit. But the cause endured and the struggle continued, waged by the family of Matthew Shepard, by the family of James Byrd, by folks who held vigils and led marches, by those who rallied and organized and refused to give up, by the late Senator Ted Kennedy who fought so hard for this legislation -- (applause) -- and all who toiled for years to reach this day.
You understood that we must stand against crimes that are meant not only to break bones, but to break spirits -- not only to inflict harm, but to instill fear. You understand that the rights afforded every citizen under our Constitution mean nothing if we do not protect those rights -- both from unjust laws and violent acts. And you understand how necessary this law continues to be.
In the most recent year for which we have data, the FBI reported roughly 7,600 hate crimes in this country. Over the past 10 years, there were more than 12,000 reported hate crimes based on sexual orientation alone. And we will never know how many incidents were never reported at all.
And that's why, through this law, we will strengthen the protections against crimes based on the color of your skin, the faith in your heart, or the place of your birth. We will finally add federal protections against crimes based on gender, disability, gender identity, or sexual orientation. (Applause.) And prosecutors will have new tools to work with states in order to prosecute to the fullest those who would perpetrate such crimes. Because no one in America should ever be afraid to walk down the street holding the hands of the person they love. No one in America should be forced to look over their shoulder because of who they are or because they live with a disability.
At root, this isn't just about our laws; this is about who we are as a people. This is about whether we value one another -- whether we embrace our differences, rather than allowing them to become a source of animus. It's hard for any of us to imagine the mind-set of someone who would kidnap a young man and beat him to within an inch of his life, tie him to a fence, and leave him for dead. It's hard for any of us to imagine the twisted mentality of those who'd offer a neighbor a ride home, attack him, chain him to the back of a truck, and drag him for miles until he finally died.
But we sense where such cruelty begins: the moment we fail to see in another our common humanity -- the very moment when we fail to recognize in a person the same fears and hopes, the same passions and imperfections, the same dreams that we all share.
We have for centuries strived to live up to our founding ideal, of a nation where all are free and equal and able to pursue their own version of happiness. Through conflict and tumult, through the morass of hatred and prejudice, through periods of division and discord we have endured and grown stronger and fairer and freer. And at every turn, we've made progress not only by changing laws but by changing hearts, by our willingness to walk in another's shoes, by our capacity to love and accept even in the face of rage and bigotry. In April of 1968, just one week after the assassination of Martin Luther King, as our nation mourned in grief and shuddered in anger, President Lyndon Johnson signed landmark civil rights legislation. This was the first time we enshrined into law federal protections against crimes motivated by religious or racial hatred -- the law on which we build today.
As he signed his name, at a difficult moment for our country, President Johnson said that through this law "the bells of freedom ring out a little louder." That is the promise of America. Over the sounds of hatred and chaos, over the din of grief and anger, we can still hear those ideals -- even when they are faint, even when some would try to drown them out. At our best we seek to make sure those ideals can be heard and felt by Americans everywhere. And that work did not end in 1968. It certainly does not end today. But because of the efforts of the folks in this room -- particularly those family members who are standing behind me -- we can be proud that that bell rings even louder now and each day grows louder still. So thank you very much. God bless you and God bless the United States of America.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Please, everybody be seated.
Good afternoon. I have often said that meeting our greatest challenges would require not only changing policies in Washington but changing the way business is done in Washington; that it would require a government that's more efficient and effective and less influenced by lobbyists and parochial politics. And I'm pleased to say that when it comes to the defense bill I'm about to sign into law, we've taken some important steps towards that goal.
I want to acknowledge my outstanding Vice President, Joe Biden. (Applause.) Attorney General Eric Holder is here. (Applause.) And all members of Congress who are joining us here today, thank you very much for your outstanding work. You can give members of Congress a round of applause. (Applause.)
As Commander-in-Chief, I will always do whatever it takes to keep the American people safe, to defend this nation. And that's why this bill provides for the best military in the history of the world. It reaffirms our commitment to our brave men and women in uniform and our wounded warriors. It expands family leave rights for the family members of our troops and veterans. And it makes investments in the capabilities necessary to meet 21st century challenges.
But I have always rejected the notion that we have to waste billions of dollars of taxpayer money to keep this nation secure. In fact, I think that wasting these dollars makes us less secure. And that's why we have passed a defense bill that eliminates some of the waste and inefficiency in our defense process -- reforms that will better protect our nation, better protect our troops, and save taxpayers tens of billions of dollars.
Now, at the outset, let me just say that this effort would not have been possible without an extraordinary Secretary of Defense. And so I want to thank publicly Bob Gates for his service to our nation. (Applause.)
Having served under eight Presidents of both parties, this is a man who understands that our defense budget isn't about politics, it's about the security of our country, and who knows that every dollar wasted is a dollar we can't spend to care for our troops or protect the homeland.
And over the last several months, he took that fight to Congress. He challenged conventional thinking, and he emerged with several critical victories. So on behalf of the American people, I want to thank you, Bob, for your extraordinary efforts. (Applause.)
Now, Bob couldn't have been successful had it not been for the next person I want to introduce -- Admiral Mike Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He provided wise counsel and stood with us in our efforts to initiate reform, even though it probably occasionally caused some heartburn inside of the Pentagon as well, because change is hard. And so I'm very grateful for his leadership and excellent work. Please give -- (applause.)
And finally, I want to thank the members of Congress, particularly Senators Carl Levin and John McCain, and Congressmen Ike Skelton and Buck McKeon. As the chairmen and ranking members of their respective committees, they did an outstanding job.
Now, this bill isn't perfect. This bill is an important step forward, but it's just a first step. There's still more waste we need to cut. There are still more fights that we need to win. Changing the culture in Washington will take time and sustained effort. And that's why Secretary Gates and I will continue waging these battles in the months and years ahead.
But I will say that when Secretary Gates and I first proposed going after some of these wasteful projects, there were a lot of people in this town who didn't think it was possible, who were certain we were going to lose, who were certain that we would get steamrolled, who argued that the special interests were too entrenched, and that Washington was simply too set in its ways.
And so I think it's important to note today we have proven them wrong. Today we're putting an end to some wasteful projects that lawmakers have tried to kill for years. And we're doing this because Secretary Gates and I both know that we can't build the 21st century military we need unless we fundamentally reform the way our defense establishment does business. The Government Accountability Office, the GAO, has looked into 96 major defense projects from the last year, and found cost overruns that totaled $296 billion, an amount of money that would have paid our troops' salaries and provided benefits for their families for more than a year.
And we all know where this kind of waste comes from -- indefensible, no-bid contracts that cost taxpayers billions and make contractors rich; special interests and their exotic projects that are years behind schedule and billions over budget; entrenched lobbyists pushing weapons that even our military says it doesn't want and doesn't need -- the impulse in Washington to win political points back home by building things that we don't need at costs we can't afford. This waste would be unacceptable at any time, but at a time when we're fighting two wars and facing a serious deficit, it's inexcusable. It's unconscionable. It's an affront to the American people and to our troops, and it has to stop.
And already I've put an end to unnecessary no-bid contracts. I signed bipartisan legislation to reform defense procurement so weapons systems don't spin out of control. And even as we made critical investments in the equipment and weapons our troops do need, we're eliminating tens of billions of dollars in waste we don't need. So no longer will we be spending nearly $2 billion to buy more F-22 fighter jets that the Pentagon says they don't need. This bill also terminates troubled and massively over budget programs such as the Future Combat Systems, the Airborne Lasers, the Combat Search and Rescue helicopter, and a new presidential helicopter that costs nearly as much as Air Force One. I won't be flying on that.
At the same time, we accelerated or increased weapons programs needed to confront real and growing threats -- the Joint Strike Fighter, the Littoral Combat Ship, and more helicopters and reconnaissance support for our troops at the front.
And this bill also reduces waste and fraud in our contracting system, as well as our reliance on private contractors for jobs that federal employees have the expertise and the training to do.
So today I'm pleased to say that we have proved that change is possible. It may not come quickly, or all at once, but if you push hard enough, it does come eventually.
Now, speaking of that, there is one more long-awaited change contained within this legislation that I'll be talking about a little more later today. After more than a decade of opposition and delay, we've passed inclusive hate crimes legislation to help protect our citizens from violence based on what they look like, who they love, how they pray, or who they are. (Applause.)
I promised Judy Shepard, when she saw me in the Oval Office, that this day would come, and I'm glad that she and her husband Dennis could join us for this event. I'm also honored to have the family of the late Senator Ted Kennedy, who fought so hard for this legislation. And Vicki and Patrick, Kara, everybody who's here, I just want you all to know how proud we are of the work that Ted did to help this day -- make this day possible. So -- and thank you for joining us here today. (Applause.)
So, with that, I'm going to sign this piece of legislation. Thank you all for doing a great job. All right.
(The Act is signed.) (Applause.)
From the Department of Homeland Security
Release Date: October 28, 2009
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan and Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today announced the launch of DisasterRecoveryWorkingGroup.gov a new interagency website that will allow federal disaster recovery officials to solicit public comments from state, local and tribal partners and the public.
The new website will be used by the federal government's newly-formed Long Term Disaster Recovery Working Groupco-chaired by Secretary Donovan and Secretary Napolitanoto allow stakeholders to submit ideas for disaster recovery; articulate objectives for recovery assistance going forward; identify examples of best practices; raise challenges and obstacles to success; and share thoughts, experiences and lessons learned.
It is vital to our success that disaster recovery professionals and stakeholders provide their input as we move forward to improve disaster recovery efforts across the country, said Secretary Donovan. This new website will give everyone involved in disaster recovery a voice in shaping how we respond, and then rebuild and revitalize communities in the wake of disaster.
Successful recovery relies on effective collaboration with partners from state, local and tribal governments and the private sector, said Secretary Napolitano. This new website will support the federal government's efforts to enhance our nation's resiliency in the face of emergencies by engaging directly with our stakeholders.
Last month, President Obama asked Secretaries Napolitano and Donovan to co-chair the Long Term Disaster Recovery Working Group, comprised of more than 20 federal departments, agencies and offices, to ensure that individuals, communities and the nation's economy can withstand and rapidly recover from disasters. In order to develop a better national strategy for an effective approach to long-term disaster recovery, the Working Group will:
In addition, Secretaries Donovan and Napolitano will provide the President with recommendations to improve long-term catastrophic disaster recovery and help develop a National Disaster Recovery Framework that will provide detailed operational guidance to recovery organizations under existing authorities.
USFA Press Office: (301) 447-1853
Washington, D.C. The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) today launched an effort to encourage everyone to install and maintain home smoke alarms and, if possible, sprinklers. More than 3,000 people die in home fires each year, and the majority of them have no working smoke alarm. To prevent these deaths, the USFA, a division of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is sponsoring the nationwide Install. Inspect. Protect. Campaign, which emphasizes that Smoke Alarms Save Lives.
The U.S. Fire Administration tracks fatal home fires every day, and it is tragic to see how many deaths are linked to homes without working smoke alarms, said Kelvin J. Cochran, U.S. Fire Administrator. The USFA is committed to preventing the loss of life and we want residents and fire fighters to be safe. He added, Smoke alarms are inexpensive, easy to install, and easy to maintain. We are asking everyone to make sure they have working smoke alarms in their homes, and if possible, sprinklers.
When both smoke alarms and fire sprinklers are present in a home, the risk of dying in a fire is reduced by 82 percent, when compared to a residence without either. According to the National Fire Protection Association, between 2003-2006, almost two-thirds of home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with either no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
Cochran also emphasized that firefighters often die in the line of duty trying to rescue people who did not get out at the first sign of a fire. He added, Smoke alarms and sprinklers give you and your family more time to get out, before firefighters have to come in to rescue you.
The Install. Inspect. Protect. Campaign is promoting fire safety through a free Campaign Toolkit DVD; featuring English and Spanish educational materials; print, radio and television PSAs; children's materials, a video demonstration of how quickly a home fire spreads, and on the USFA's consumer-friendly Web site at www.usfa.dhs.gov/smokealarms .
The USFA has always promoted fire safety and the use of smoke alarms through materials and in campaigns, such as Tribute to Heroes and Prepare. Practice. Prevent the Unthinkable: A Parents' Guide to Fire Safety for Babies and Toddlers, to name a few. Now, emphasizing the importance of both smoke alarms and sprinklers, our PSAs --My Dad and My Mom focus on the viewpoint of the child of a firefighter. The campaign materials include real stories of people whose lives have been saved, because they had a working smoke alarm.
The USFA offers a few helpful tips on smoke alarms and sprinklers:
Organizations in partnership with the U.S. Fire Administration's Install. Inspect. Protect. Campaign include the American Fire Sprinkler Association, Burn Institute, Everyone Goes Home, Fire and Emergency Manufacturers and Services Association, Fire Department Safety Officers Association, Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition, Home Safety Council, International Association of Black Professional Fire Fighters, International Association of Fire Chiefs, International Association of Women in Fire & Emergency Services, National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM) , NASFM Fire Research and Education Foundation, National Association of Hispanic Firefighters, National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, National Fire Protection Association, National Fire Sprinkler Association, National Volunteer Fire Council, and Safe Kids Worldwide.
Materials can be downloaded at www.usfa.dhs.gov/smokealarms (English) or www.usfa.dhs.gov/detectoresdehumo (Spanish). The Campaign Toolkit disc with all campaign materials is available from the USFA Publications Center at www.usfa.dhs.gov or by calling (800) 561-3356.
The United States Fire Administration recommends everyone should have a comprehensive fire protection plan that includes smoke alarms, residential sprinklers, and practicing a home fire escape plan.
From the Department of Justice
From OVW Acting Director Catherine Pierce
As we commemorate the 15th Anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act, there is no better time to renew our commitment to ending gender-based violence right here in the United States and there is no better time to strengthen our partnerships.
Without a doubt, VAWA would never have happened without the steadfast commitment and work of the countless advocates, coalitions and community partners who worked tirelessly for federal legislation to mark the importance of the issue and provide vital resources. In the past 15 years, countless lives have been saved, the voices of survivors have been heard, families have been protected, and the criminal justice community has been trained on the complex responses to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking.
Please join the Department of Justice and the Office on Violence Against Women in commemorating 15 years of working together to end violence.
In 1994, the U.S. Congress enacted the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), a comprehensive legislative package focused on violence against women. VAWA recognized the devastating consequences that violence has on women, families, and society as a whole. VAWA also acknowledged that violence against women requires specialized responses to address unique barriers that prevent victims from seeking assistance from the justice system.
The Violence Against Women Act of 2000 (VAWA 2000), enacted on October 28, 2000, improved legal tools and programs addressing domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. VAWA 2000 reauthorized critical grant programs created by the original VAWA and subsequent legislation, established new programs, and strengthened federal laws. Among other changes and improvements, VAWA 2000 emphasized assisting immigrant victims, elderly victims, victims with disabilities, and victims of dating violence.
The Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005 (VAWA 2005), enacted on January 5, 2006, further improved legal tools and grant programs addressing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. VAWA 2005 reauthorized critical grant programs created by the original VAWA and subsequent legislation, established new programs, and strengthened federal laws. Of particular note, the statute directed new resources to help victims of sexual assault, Indian women and youth victims.
For full versions of the Violence Against Women Act, please visit OVW's page on federal legislation and resources: http://www.ovw.usdoj.gov/regulations.htm
Celebrating Safe Communities
The following post appears courtesy of the Office of Justice Programs.
In recognition of October as National Crime Prevention Month, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority partnered with the National Crime Prevention Council and the Department of Justice to host an event Celebrating Safe Communities.
The early morning event, held last Wednesday, October 21, at the Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro Station, was one of many events taking place in October to enhance public awareness of crime prevention and safety messages, and recruit year-round support for ongoing prevention activities that help keep neighborhoods safe from crime.
Office of Justice Programs' Acting Assistant Attorney General, Mary Lou Leary, joined representatives from the National Crime Prevention Council, the U.S. Attorney's Office, the D.C. government and the National Sheriffs' Association to address community efforts to promote public safety. McGruff the Crime Dog was also there! In her remarks to the assembled audience of metro riders, commuters, and the general public, Acting Assistant Attorney General Leary emphasized the communal responsibility to foster safe and healthy communities: And I encourage you all to get involved
because crime prevention is vital to building a better community.
The Celebrate Safe Communities initiative is designed to showcase successful neighborhood crime prevention efforts implemented on a daily basis by individuals, families and local businesses. The objective of this initiative is to help communities organize safety-focused events and to rally public support for crime prevention programs. It is imperative for Americans of all ages to recognize that a safer community is no accident and that crime prevention is everyone's business every day of the year.
Suggestions for how individuals can become active in their own neighborhoods include:
Volunteering is another direct way of becoming involved:
Interested communities can mobilize volunteers and businesses to paint over walls covered by graffiti and replace them with murals about the neighborhood, its people, and their culture and work with the local library or recreation center to host an information fair for parents and families on Internet safety and other child safety tips.
The National Crime Prevention website at ncpc.org includes many other suggestions and tools to prevent crime in your community, and more information about National Crime Prevention Month.
From the FBI
Eleven Members/Associates of Ummah Charged with Federal Violations
One Subject Fatally Shot During Arrest
United States Attorney Terrence Berg, Eastern District of Michigan, Andrew G. Arena, Special Agent in Charge (SAC), Federal Bureau of Investigation, (FBI), Detroit, Michigan, and Police Chief Warren Evans, Detroit Police Department (DPD), Detroit, Michigan announced a federal complaint was unsealed today charging Luqman Ameen Abdullah, a.k.a.Christopher Thomas, and 10 others with conspiracy to commit several federal crimes, including theft from interstate shipments, mail fraud to obtain the proceeds of arson, illegal possession and sale of firearms, and tampering with motor vehicle identification numbers. The eleven defendants are members of a group that is alleged to have engaged in violent activity over a period of many years, and known to be armed.
In light of the information that the charged individuals were believed to be armed and dangerous, special safeguards were employed by law enforcement to secure the arrests without confrontation. During the arrests today, the suspects were ordered to surrender. At one location, four suspects surrendered and were arrested without incident. Luqman Ameen Abdullah did not surrender and fired his weapon. An exchange of gun fire followed and Abdullah was killed. An FBI canine was also killed during the exchange.
Abdullah was the leader of part of a group which calls themselves Ummah (the brotherhood), a group of mostly African-American converts to Islam, which seeks to establish a separate Sharia-law governed state within the United States. The Ummah is ruled by Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, formerly known as H. Rapp Brown, who is serving a state sentence in USP Florence, CO, ADMAX, for the murder of two police officers in Georgia. As detailed in the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint that was unsealed today, Abdullah has espoused the use of violence against law enforcement, and has trained members of his group in use of firearms and martial arts in anticipation of some type of action against the government. Abdullah and other members of this group were known to carry firearms and other weapons.
The 11 individuals charged include:
Luqman Abdullah (aka Christopher Thomas), age 53, of Detroit, Michigan. Abdullah is charged with:
Mohammad Abdul Salaam (aka Gregory Stone), age 45, of Detroit, Michigan. Salaam is charged with:
Abdullah Beard (aka Detric Lamont Driver), age 37, of Detroit, Michigan. Beard is charged with:
Abdul Saboor (aka Dwayne Edward Davis), age 37, of Detroit, Michigan. Saboor is charged with:
Mujahid Carswell (aka Mujahid Abdullah), age 30, of Detroit, Michigan and Ontario, Canada. Carswell is charged with:
Adam Ibraheem, age 38, of Detroit, Michigan. Ibraheem is charged with:
Gary Laverne Porter (aka Mujahid LNU), age 59 of Detroit, Michigan. Porter is charged with:
Ali Abdul Raqib, age 57, of Detroit, Michigan. Raqib is charged with:
Mohammad Alsahi (aka Mohammad Palestine), age 33, of Ontario, Canada. Alsahi is charged with:
Yassir Ali Khan, age 30, of Ontario, Canada and Warren, Michigan. Khan is charged with:
Mohammad Abdul Bassir (aka Frankin D. Roosevelt Williams, age 50 , of Ojibway Correctional Facility. Bassir is charged with:
Additionally, two federal search warrants were executed at 4467 Tireman Avenue, Detroit Michigan, and 9278 Genessee Street, Detroit, Michigan. The affidavits for these search warrants are sealed.
This case was jointly worked by the FBI, DPD, JTTF, and the United States Attorney's Office Eastern District of Michigan. We would like to express our appreciation to the Detroit Public Schools, Dearborn Police Department, Madison Heights Police and Fire Departments, and the members of JTTF for their assistance in this matter.
At the time of this release, Mujahid Carswell, Mohammad Alsahi and Yassir Ali Khan were still at large. Anyone with information regarding the location of these individuals should contact the FBI at (313) 965-2323.
A complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A trial cannot be held on felony charges in a complaint. When the investigation is completed a determination will be made whether to seek a felony indictment.
The Kids Page
The Kids' Page is designed for children and their parents to learn more about the FBI through age-appropriate games, tips, stories and interactives. We also introduce you to our working dogs and show how FBI special agents and analysts investigate cases.


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Few shows bottle pure delight like Glee, a Fox TV series about the ups and downs of a high school glee club, or show choir. The show lures you in with its musical numbers, a mix of classic rock and Broadway show tunes performed by a cast of marvelous singers and dancers--but what keeps you watching are the wonderful characters, ranging from Rachel (Lea Michelle), whose self-obsession is as uninhibited as it is annoying; to Emma (Jayma Mays), a germ-phobic guidance counselor hopelessly in love with a married teacher; to Kurt (Chris Colfer), a cherubic young gay man who discovers he''s got a fantastic football kick. The center of the show is Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison), the earnest Spanish teacher of McKinley High School, who''s determined to guide the glee club to victory at a national competition. He sees this collection of overemotional misfits as heroic, but they''re looked down on as losers by the rest of the school--especially Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Best In Show), the ruthless cheerleading coach who will stop at nothing to destroy the glee club before they can take even a fraction of her extravagant budget.
Glee fuses adolescent soap opera, the comic pettiness of academic politics, and exuberant song and dance. (While it would be better if the songs weren''t so glossily produced, it''s impossible to deny the pep and talent of these young performers.) Somehow, the characters manage to be cartoonish yet multidimensional; even the nicest characters are capable of being jerks and the most manipulative have moments of sympathy or grace. For example, Will''s wife, Terri (Jessalyn Gilsig), fakes a pregnancy because she''s afraid Will is about to leave her for Emma--but as absurd as this scenario is, it''s carefully grounded in enough moments of desperate yearning that it becomes completely compelling… particularly when Terri seizes on the unwanted pregnancy of lead cheerleader Quinn (Dianna Agron) as the solution to her problem. Throw in vividly colored costume designs and blisteringly funny rants from Sue, and it''s easy to see why Glee became an unexpected hit. Volume One: The Road to Sectionals collects the first 13 episodes, along with a smattering of extras that range from charming (the principal leads the audience on a tour through the school) to inane (bland factoids about the actors'' favorite colors). --Bret Fetzer
Stills from Glee (Click for larger image)
Includes the first 13 episodes of season one.

subset: commoncrawl


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I had a note from someone suggesting that there might be a problem on the blog with reading comments.
Anyone having problems?
I can't see anything wrong.
I had a note from someone suggesting that there might be a problem on the blog with reading comments.
Anyone having problems?
I can't see anything wrong.
Testing…. 1 – 2 – 3.
There is no smoking in the narthex. I repeat. No smoking in the narthex.
Thank you.
The only trouble I ever have is that the combox resizes wider than the column in which it is contained. that way, it hides maybe the right 10 characters or so. I use IE on the two different computers where I typically view WDTPRS.
I've never said anything because, well, um, like priests are unlikely to comment about another priest's Mass so website owners are reluctant to comment on another site's design.
The only problem I have with the comments, Father, is when I start to type the box suddenly extends off the edge of the screen and I have to type "blind" until the next line comes back onto the page. I don't know if I'm alone with this problem or not.
Most problems seem to evolve on IE, rather than the superior Firefox.
The biggest problem I have is that my witty, pertinent and wise comments somehow often get mysteriously changed into something ignorant and irrelevant.
You working on a fix for that?
Thomas, I have that problem with IE 6, but IE 7 on another pc works fine.
It's an IE world, Father. :)
Checking it on IE7, I concur with Frank– I only see it on lower browsers. I think the problem is in the way that wordpress formats in modules rather than tables. The browser is reading the cols="100%" code for the input box. My suggestion is to replace the cols="100%" line with a fixed width. Perhaps cols="50″.
"This blog is like a fusion of the Baroque 'salon' with its well-tuned harpsichord around which polite society gathered for entertainment and edification and, on the other hand, a Wild West "saloon" with its out-of-tune piano and swinging doors, where everyone has a gun and something to say. Nevertheless, we try to point our discussions back to what it is to be Catholic in this increasingly difficult age, to love God, and how to get to heaven." – Fr. Z
Joseph Ratzinger
in The Spirit of the Liturgy
Raymond Card. Burke
Coat of Arms by D Burkart
My CHALLENGE COINS for my 25th Anniversary of Ordination (26 May 1991) arrived.
I'll make a number of them available for exchange and in gratitude to special benefactors.
- Nehemiah 4:18
Joseph Ratzinger - The Feast of Faith"In those situations where homosexual unions have been legally recognized or have been given the legal status and rights belonging to marriage, clear and emphatic opposition is a duty. ... If all Catholics are obliged to oppose the legal recognition of homosexual unions, Catholic politicians are obliged to do so in a particular way, in keeping with their responsibility as politicians." CDF 2003
Fr. Z - W9FRZ - OFF
QRV on: 00m 00000
Check Echolink WB0YLE-R - OFF
- - Giovanni Guareschi
God or Nothing: A Conversation on Faith by Robert Card. Sarah
Buy it. Get one for your parish priests. UK HERE
- St. John Paul II
- Sean McCabe @seanwes
- C.S. Lewis
Charles Pierre Péguy Notre Patrie, 1905"If I ought to write the truth, I am of the mind that I ought to flee all meetings of bishops, because I have never seen any happy or satisfactory outcome to any council, nor one that has deterred evils more than it has occasioned their acceptance and growth."
St. Gregory Nazianzus ep. 131 - AD 382"We will conquer your Rome, break your crosses, and enslave your women. If we do not reach that time, then our children and grandchildren will reach it, and they will sell your sons as slaves at the slave market."
Sheikh Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, Chief Spokesman the Islamic State, 2014 Quoted in James Wesley Rawles, Land of Promise (Counter-Caliphate Chronicles Series Book 1) See also HERE
- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
- Anonymous"Rev. John Zuhlsdorf, a traditionalist blogger who has never shied from picking fights with priests, bishops or cardinals when liturgical abuses are concerned."
- Kractivism"Father John Zuhlsdorf is a crank"
- Michael Sean Winters"Fr Z is a true phenomenon of the information age: a power blogger and a priest."
- Anna Arco
"Given that Rorate Coeli and Shea are mad at Fr. Z, I think it proves Fr. Z knows what he is doing and he is right."
- Comment"Let me be clear. Fr. Z is a shock jock, mostly. His readership is vast and touchy. They like to be provoked and react with speed and fury."
- Sam Rocha"Father Z's Blog is a bright star on a cloudy night."
- Comment"A cross between Kung Fu Panda and Wolverine."
- Anonymous
- Comment
Rev. John Zuhlsdorf, a scrappy blogger popular with the Catholic right.
America Magazine
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James B. Earley
James B. Earley [Jim] (5 April 1934 / Mounds, Il)
» Click to list general statistics » OR, select a date :
Cuckolded Husband
From early childhood
His dearest friend
..When intervened
Irreparable sin
read more >>
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Celebrate Mothers Day with a twist at one of Streatham's premier jazz bars.
Hideaway, in Streatham, has arranged a special Sunday Lunch event for all the family this Mother's Day.
Female swing band the Kai's Cats are performing and guests will have their feet tapping away to the lively rock and roll band.
The group, fronted by Kai Hoffman, will be playing two sets of jumping jive, swing and rock and roll with tunes from the 40s, 50s and 60s.
Hits such as Louis Jordan's There Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens and Nat King Cole's Mona Lisa are just a couple of the tunes that will be performed.
The restaurant is serving a traditional English roast lunch with all the trimmings, along with a range of beers, wines and cocktails on offer at the bar.
A spokeswoman for the Jazz club says: "In the style of great jazz entertainers such as Louis Armstrong, Louis Jordan and Nat King Cole, Kai's Cats' accessible, melodically swinging tunes are fun to listen to and great for dancing.
"The event will be a great family day out for Mother's Day. Mum's won't have to lift a finger."
Mother's Day Sunday Lunch, Hideaway, Streatham, March 10, 12.30pm, £10, call 020 8835 7070 or visit hideawaylive.co.uk


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Secret powers of detention are ripe for abuse
Page Tools
The new terrorism laws seem based on the wishful thinking that they will not be abused, and mistakes won't happen ("House arrest for terror suspects", Herald, September 28). But experience tells us that mistakes will be made and abuses will happen. The great flaw in these laws is that they are not open to scrutiny. If people can be locked up in secret, and have no access to open judicial processes, there will not be the oversight to see that abuse and mistakes are rectified.
Benedict Stephenson Blacktown
Did they manage to place a tracking device on common decency, rule of law and basic civil rights before they were thrown out of the country?
Terry Marshman Frenchs Forest
Here's an idea to prevent terrorism. Stop slaughtering innocent Muslims.
Shayne Chester Potts Point
If the threat of terrorism is as bad as ASIO and the federal police must have painted to the premiers, why have they not already arrested these dangerous citizens? Is their information as bad as "the weapons of mass destruction" information? Or did John Howard threaten the premiers with "it will be you to blame if there is an attack" and thus pass the buck?
Selwyn Suchet St Ives
I trust that while we still have our freedom the bloodhounds of the press will find out what John Howard offered the state Labor premiers to all cave in to his will on the proposed anti-terrorism legislation. Perhaps in this new police state Howard has the wood on them.
Stephen Kelly Epping
Let me get this straight: "they" hate our Western liberal democracy, so we have to start dismantling our Western liberal democracy? Right. Great victory plan, guys.
Damien MacRae Petersham
I would not expect otherwise of a government that allows its citizens to be held captive in jail for years without charge and which supports the American Government, which refuses to observe the Geneva Convention.
Charles Stanford Bondi
The proposed anti-terrorism laws are simply dumb and counterproductive. They will serve to replace the good relations that have been slowly built between police and the community over the past decade, with suspicion and blame. Despite all the new wonderful technology, the biggest flow of information still comes from the community. These laws will serve to dry this flow.
Terry Lustig Kensington
I think Australia has already had its first terrorist attack. It came from an unexpected quarter. It was executed by all the Australian heads of government when they attacked the very limited human rights in the Australian constitution.
John Williams Frenchs Forest
Congratulations to all state ALP premiers for your induction as a fully operative sub-branch of the Liberal Party. The sun has indeed set.
Arthur Lathouris Wentworth Falls
To get an idea of the blind panic into which John Howard has encouraged us you only need examine two statistics.
The first is the number of Australians who have been killed or injured in Australia by terrorism. That number is zero, zilch, naught, nil, zip.
The second statistic is the number of people killed or injured every year in Australia by motor vehicles. That number in 2004 was 1598 deaths and 11 times as many injuries.
An issue which has caused no deaths or injuries in Australia has caused our collective governments to deprive us of basic civil liberties without apparent concern, yet an issue causing thousands of deaths or injuries yearly causes no government to even contemplate any infringement on our civil liberties.
This is an outstanding triumph of the propagandist's art.
Les MacDonald Balmain
Welcome to Austasi-land.
Emma Brooks Maher Haberfield
Draconian domestic terrorism laws in a country that's had no terrorist attack for 30 years? Who needs a sensible discussion when you can have a fear campaign instead? If we were on the road to fascism how would it differ from this?
Mike Goodwin Bondi Junction
It would have been much cheaper and more honest to have accepted the Mark Latham option and have pulled out of Iraq before last Christmas.
Jim Ruxton Pymble
I would have thought that, given Philip Ruddock's track record on immigration, we need legislation to protect our civil liberties from the Government, rather than the other way around.
Sanj Fernando Bronte
If terrorists hate us for our freedoms, why do our governments respond by taking them away? Isn't this giving them what they want?
Justin Whelan Petersham
Although there will still be some who will loudly complain about the "reduction of civil liberties", it is totally sensible for Australia to have laws that will enable our police and other counter-terrorism organisations to actually do something to prevent innocent civilians being splattered all over the place by a terrorist bomb.
Geoff Cass Tewantin (Qld)
Now that people can be imprisoned without charge in all states, should we now have uniform numberplate slogans, for example, "NSW - police state"?
Helen Lewers Napoleons (Vic)
House arrest for 16-year-olds? It's hard enough to get them outside to play as it is.
Brian Johnstone Leura
Yet another failure to uphold human rights
I am an Australian citizen working for the UN Office for Project Services in Afghanistan. After reading your report about the Bakhtiari family ("Afghans after all - the family deported for being Pakistani frauds", Herald, September 28), I asked the Afghan staff in my office, all locals from the Jaghuri district, whether they knew of the family. Without hesitation, two of my senior staff admitted personally knowing two of the sons, and confirmed that they were from the village of Balaw Daoud, and were Afghans. They said the Bakhtiaris are now living in Kabul and struggling financially after spending most of their savings on the trip to Australia.
While they may now not be at risk (or at least at lesser risk) of persecution by the Afghan Government, it was a different story in Jaghuri in 1999 and 2001, when the Taliban came through this district and threatened the local Hazara population.
It seems that once again the Australian Government has embarrassed itself, without any regard for human rights, with its maltreatment of those seeking refugee status from foreign governments.
Sam Greenberger Jaghuri, Afghanistan
Thanks to Paul McGeough we now know that the real fraud was not perpetrated by the Bakhtiari family on the Australian Government, but rather by the Australian Government on both the Bakhtiaris and the Australian people.
Rob Eager Rockdale
The Bakhtiari family arrived in Pakistan and then "fled almost immediately to the greater harshness and impoverishment of postwar Afghanistan". Which proves beyond any doubt that the Bakhtiaris were economic refugees to Australia and were not at risk of political oppression or torture. Australia's limited resources to accept genuine refugees should not be taken up by people who are financially motivated.
The Bakhtiaris do not appear to fear return to Afghanistan and, hopefully, can contribute to the rebuilding of their country.
Australia must maintain a program to assist genuine refugees fleeing certain danger. Immigration procedures are in place for people who simply seek to improve their economic situation.
J.E. Lamb Bonnells Bay
The Bakhtiaris are Afghans after all: another "honest mistake" overboard.
Scott Poynting Newtown
Hawke's idea might not be for the waste bin
Bob Hawke believes that Australia should store the world's nuclear waste and use the income to enhance the environment ("ALP buries Hawke's nuclear waste revolution", Herald, September 28).
The federal Health Minister, Tony Abbott, has described the idea as "visionary" and says Mr Hawke should work on Labor to pursue it. If it's such a good idea, why doesn't Mr Abbott persuade his government to adopt it?
Peter Skrzynecki Eastwood
I think Bob Hawke's idea for a nuclear dump should be looked at and discussed openly. Australia is not only geographically but also politically the best option.
For all those appalled at the idea of Australia making billions of dollars (yes, countries will pay handsomely), is it better that this waste is dumped in the ocean, left to contaminate some Third World country or become easily accessible to terrorists for "dirty bombs"?
Putting our heads in the sand and claiming it is not our responsibility when we produce so much of the world's uranium is disgraceful in the extreme and a solution must be found. Hawke's idea has merit.
Neil Thomas Morningside (Qld)
I am trying to get my thoughts around the idea that Australia becomes a dumping ground for the world's nuclear waste with the money going to help solve the problem of salinity.
Sister Sheila Quonoey Springwood
Skewed priorities
The reason given for not holding the parade marking the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II on a weekday was that it would disrupt traffic to the CBD. If the veterans had won a football grand final instead of a war, their parade on a weekday would have been guaranteed.
Anne Healy Cammeray
Cross city con job
Your editorial "A road less travelled" ( Herald, September 27) mentioned that "the Government has promised that William Street will be transformed into a pedestrian-friendly boulevard by year's end". What kindness, what generosity - I can't wait.
I regret that you, too, have been taken in by the Government's scheme to force people to use the Cross City Tunnel by deleting William Street traffic lanes and calling it a boulevard.
My town planning lectures 50 years ago taught me the obvious fact that people will not stroll uphill to shop: when slope increases, boulevardiers fade out. Neither will they sit in outdoor cafes inhaling traffic smoke and be deafened by car noises. We are such mugs to fall for this con job.
Fred Waring Bellevue Hill
Dangerous trend
Lachlan Bickley (Heckler, September 27) is quite right in his concerns over the recent growth of rubber wristband rewards for those giving to charity.
However, in his quite reasonable concerns, he has missed one other relevant problem with this trend - that of loads more useless, non-biodegradable rubber and plastic in our landfills.
And that is inexcusable, really.
Alan Baxter Bronte
Check the sources
Yes, David Schad (Letters, September 28), the science on which predictions of global warming are made is complex, and there is reasonable dispute about the models used.
But don't you find it telling that those raising the alarm tend to be scientists writing in peer-reviewed scientific journals, while the sceptics tend to be published in economics magazines, and, if they're scientists at all, are frequently "consultants" to the fossil fuel industries?
Margaret Morgan Turramurra
Latham laments
For Gough's sake, more Latham on the front page ("Politics is bad for ideals, says Latham", Herald, September 28)!
Is he trying to beat Cheryl's record for the longest dummy spit in Australian political history? It's not as though he's got anything compelling left to say.
What other show-stoppers lie in store? "Latham identifies link between smoking and lung cancer"? "Latham warns against blue shoes with green socks"? Let's move on.
David Mantle Coogee
Might one inquire of Mark Latham just how he envisages the country will be run without the benefit of politicians?
Richard Fry Russell Lea
Ocean views
It's good to see common sense prevail for once at Manly Council. The dilapidated beachfront cottage has no architectural merit whatsoever and is nothing but an eyesore on the landscape ("Cloud over dwarfed beach cottage", Herald, September 28).
Rather than move the mess elsewhere, knock it down.
Justin Pettit Manly
Yet another quaint and lovely piece of our culture and history replaced by an ugly people-stacker.
Andrew Millett Rozelle
Hope springs from all that celebrity hype
Jacqueline Maley, I salute you ("What the gossip mags say", Herald, September 28). Every week, as I descend into a pit of despair at the relentless reports of how nasty we are to each other and the latest round of punitive draconian policies and agendas driven by a Government determined to keep us scared of each other, your summations on the heady world of gossip magazines lift me up once more. All is not lost.
Kim Palmer Narrabeen
Singin' in the rain
It's disappointing, though not surprising, that research funded by a bathroom products company neglects gathering data on the most significant shower ritual of them all ("The gender divide as seen through the shower curtain", Herald, September 28). Who's singing what in the shower these days?
Megan Brock Summer Hill
Lost luggage
Sanjay Y.S. Pandher suggests looking for a potential partner with matching luggage (Letters, September 27). I would be happy to find one with matching socks.
Anna McGinley Vaucluse
Sanjay Pandher, tell your mates to be highly suspicious of potential partners who say they've left their baggage behind. They're probably emotional terrorists.
C.A. Lawrence Mangrove Mountain
Banjo picker
Um, just to let you know, Matthew Thomason (Letters, September 28), it was Banjo Paterson, not Henry Lawson, who wrote The Man From Snowy River. But I'm sure you knew that, didn't you?
Matthew Adams St Ives
Declining standards
Goodness! Testosterone-fuelled footy fever and all-night celebrations but not one report of sexual assault. What's the world coming to?
Peter Pitt Potts Point
Calling John Doe
A.M. Doe's curiosity about any thespian connection that your correspondent Bruce Spence (Letters, September 28) may have has piqued my own. I wonder if A.M. Doe is somehow related to the legendary actor who always appears to play corpses in American murder mysteries, John?
Jeremy Coleman Auckland (NZ)
Silly torque
Apropos of absolutely nothing at all, are spin doctors' babies delivered by a storque?
Warwick Farley Roseville


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text:
'KIN' Kingdomwood International Networking Event
Kingdomwood Christian Film Festival
Thursday, April 24, 2014 from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM (PDT)
Who's Going
San Francisco, California
London, United Kingdom
Florence, Italy
Event Details
'KIN' is the 1st Kingdom Networking Event in our Community!
Kingdomwood International Networking Coming
Thursday April 24, 2014 at D-1 Park Central 7pm!
Kingdomwood is Happy to Announce 'Back from the Oscars' Taylor Owenby he's Hosting KIN!
Kingdom Filmmakers Lets Get Acquainted!
Calling all Kickstarters,IndieGoGo,Crowdfunds Filmmakers!
Signup today to showcase your campaign & trailers Inbox us on facebook!
Register today to join us in Hilton Head Island! www.kingdomwood.com
When & Where
Kingdomwood HQ 2520 Park Central Blvd. D-1 Decatur Ga. 30035
Thursday, April 24, 2014 from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM (PDT)
Add to my calendar
Kingdomwood Christian Film Festival
Kingdomwood Christian Film Festival (KCFF)is a 4-day faith-based film festival, started in 2008. Each October it has provided a forum for independent filmmakers to screen films that promote and inspire Christian teaching and values. This year Kingdomwood is encouraging our filmmakers to submit films that will Reach! Teach! and Inspire their audiences. KCFF screens full features, shorts, and documentaries, and offers workshops and symposiums that offer insight and analysis of industry trends in faith-based film making and production. We are a 501 c(3) organization. All refundable donation goes to finance Kingdomwood Kids programs 2015.


text:
By firstname.lastname@example.com 17, 2013
FORT BENNING, Ga. (April 17, 2013) -- Fort Benning observed the Holocaust Days of Remembrance April 8 at the National Infantry Museum.
"In the Germany of the 1920s and 30s, humanity was eroded by xenophobia in general and by anti-Semitism in particular -- and then in the 1940s, gave way completely," said Maj. Gen. H. R. McMaster, Fort Benning commanding general. "The scale of the human toll, the suffering during the Holocaust, is numbing -- six million Jews, five million others systematically murdered."
The guest speaker was retired Navy Capt. Neil Block, a Jewish lay leader from Harris County, Ga.
"Why are we here today?" Block said. "We are here to be reminded of, to remember, to revisit this horrific man-made catastrophe in all of recorded here. We're here to focus on it -- and its consequences, and to learn what we are obligated to take from it. Because if we don't, our humanity-driven resolve to ensure that it never happens again, anywhere at anytime to anyone may be diminished."
Block described the Holocaust as state-sanctioned, government-sponsored public policy, bureaucratically managed and systematically carried out as a program of the national government.
While the annihilation of Jewish people and others went on, Block said, others stood by idly or with their heads in the sand.
"It happened because people were quiet and pretended that while it was happening to somebody else it couldn't happen to them," he said.
McMaster quoted philosopher Edmund Burke, who said, "All that is required for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing."
Block listed relatively recent acts of genocide in parts of Africa and Eastern Europe.
"Because it didn't make headline nightly news on TV, did it happen?" Block asked.
He compared genocides that weren't widely known in the media to a falling tree where no one is around to hear it fall.
"Nobody came to their aid, nobody cried out until it was too late," he said.
If people don't learn from the past, Block said, people are doomed to repeat it.
"Let us not relive the barbarity from generation to generation like a macabre game of musical chairs waiting and watching to see which is to be the last race, or ethnic group or culture or religion -- or even state, to remain standing (in the face) of annihilation."
McMaster mentioned Soldiers who helped liberate survivors from camps, including Col. Aaron Cohn of the 3rd U.S. Cavalry, who led his unit to Ebensee, Austria, on May 9, 1945, and Army Chaplain (Capt.) Herschel Schacter, the first rabbi to enter Buchenwald after its liberation.
"Barely an hour after Gen. Patton's Third Army had liberated the camp, Capt. Schacter made his way through the barracks shouting to the prisoners 'Ihr zint frei!' telling them they were free," McMaster said.
He added that Schacter stayed for months helping survivors to relocate.
"American Soldiers, like Herschel Schacter, Aaron Cohn and their eight million fellow Soldiers in the Army of World War II were warriors, but because they fought for liberty and to stop the murder and end the suffering of innocents, they were also humanitarians," McMaster said. "And so are our Soldiers today -- warriors and humanitarians."