Tag Archives: Twitter

Third bomb is found outside Midlands mosque as counter-terrorism officers question Ukrainian students.

July 19, 2013 cbcburke9 Leave a comment

Wolverhampton Archives (Photo credit: WAVE:Galleries, Museums, Archives of Wolverhampton)

Birmingham Mail Logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

West Midlands Police (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Counter-terrorism officers have found evidence of a third bomb detonated near to a mosque in the West Midlands.
Wolverhampton Central Mosque on Dunstall Road, Wolverhampton, was evacuated last night after police received information that it may have been the target of a device activated three weeks ago.
Today, West Midlands police said they have found the ‘seat of an explosion’ and debris among trees and shrubbery in the roundabout opposite the mosque.
Early indications are that the device was detonated on June 28. It follows the arrest of two Ukranian men, aged 25 and 22, in connection with two separate bombings near mosques in Walsall and Tipton.

Tip off: Counter-terror police swooped on the area following the arrest of two Ukrainian men on suspicion of terror offences
The suspects are engineering students who have been in England on a summer placement, according to the Birmingham Mail.
No device was found inside Wolverhampton Central Mosque which has now been reopened for worshippers.
Assistant Chief Constable Marcus Beale, who is leading the investigation, said: ‘Officers searching the area have found the seat of an explosion and debris on the island near the mosque.
‘The investigation is being led by specialist officers and staff from our Counter Terrorism Unit who are being supported by a range of departments from across the force.
‘We recognise the impact news of the latest find will have on the communities of Wolverhampton and further afield. We’re working hard to complete our enquiries so that the area can be returned to normality.’
Meanwhile, the industrial unit which is the headquarters of software company Delcam continued to be a hive of activity with bomb disposal officers and members of West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit searching the premises where the two suspects were working on a university placement.
The company’s chief executive, Clive Martell, was at the scene today and confirmed comments he made, after police turned up unexpectedly at the site on Thursday.
Speaking in the Birmingham Mail yesterday, he said: ‘The two men were on work placements with us, but were not employees of the business.
‘They are studying at a foreign university and are engineering students.’
Mr Martell added that the two men were studying engineering degrees in a country in Eastern Europe.
‘One of the men has been with us for four months and the other has been with us for two months,” he said.
‘They were around halfway through the course and we understand that they met each other whilst on the placement.
‘This was completely unexpected and we are doing everything we possibly can to assist the police with their investigations.’
Officers descended on the large industrial unit at 3pm yesterday, and are expected to remain there for the rest of the day according to West Midlands Police.
Workers have been gathering outside since the morning, to collect cars and other belongings they had to leave behind when police arrived.
Local residents took to Twitter to express shock and fear at the continued targeting of mosques in the area, following the murder of British soldier Lee Rigby in May.
The soldier was stabbed to death near his Army barracks in Woolwich, south London.
A Twitter user under the name of Shez Khan said: ‘Dear me. Bomb planted INSIDE Wolverhampton Mosque! What has happened to people?!’
Another Twitter user called Salma said: ‘It’s so sad to see a mosque being under threat 😦 especially a mosque i spent my childhood in #WolverhamptonMosque’.
A person under the name of Amreet tweeted: ‘The first time I’ve heard Wolverhampton mentioned on the main news and it’s because someone has tried to bomb the Mosque, that’s so awful’.
Faizaan wrote: ‘ANOTHER device left outside a Mosque n (sic) Wolverhampton now! This is becoming ridiculous!!!!’
The two Ukranians are being questioned on suspicion of being involved in the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism following blasts near the Aisha Mosque and Islamic Centre in the Caldmore area of Walsall last month and the Tipton mosque last Friday.
Residents were evacuated after the blast, near the Kanzul Iman Masjid in Tipton, left nails and debris scattered outside.
No-one was injured but some minor damage to property was reported. The bomb exploded just an hour after the funeral of Drummer Lee Rigby.
A small component part of the suspected nail bomb was found in a garden nearby and specialist Army disposal officers were called to the scene to carry out a controlled explosion.
The blast came after more than 100 residents were evacuated from their homes in the Caldmore area of Walsall last month after an explosion near the Aisha Mosque.
No-one was hurt in that blast, which caused minimal damage to a wall near the mosque in Rutter Street on the evening of June 21.
Although residents in the area heard a loud bang at the time of the explosion, the incident was not reported to the police until the following day when parts of the small home-made device were found by a worshipper at the mosque, sparking a major operation involving Army bomb disposal experts.
A 75-year-old man had been arrested in connection with the attack, but he was subsequently released without charge.

Suspected bomb found near Wolverhampton mosque (guardian.co.uk)
Wolverhampton mosque evacuated as bomb disposal teams move in (cbcburke9.wordpress.com)
Third bomb found near Wolverhampton mosque (thetimes.co.uk)
Men questioned amid Wolverhampton mosque explosive device inquiry (guardian.co.uk)
Mosque evacuated amid bomb alert (standard.co.uk)
Wolverhampton mosque evacuated as bomb disposal teams move in (telegraph.co.uk)
Third explosion at mosque: Two Ukrainian men questioned by counter-terrorism officers (express.co.uk)
Third bomb is found outside Midlands mosque as counter-terrorism officers question Ukrainian students, aged 25 and 22 (thisismoney.co.uk)
Third bomb found outside Wolverhampton Central Mosque as Ukrainian students questioned (thisismoney.co.uk)
Third bomb found outside Wolverhampton Central Mosque as Ukrainian students questioned (dailymail.co.uk)

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Girl Killed With Friend On Rail Line Named

June 18, 2013 cbcburke9 Leave a comment

Circa 1948-1957: A Commonwealth Wirraway RAN t... — Circa 1948-1957: A Commonwealth Wirraway RAN trainer at Nowra Naval Air Station, HMAS ALBATROSS – Photo Peter Ricketts. (Photo credit: Kookaburra2011)

A teenage boy and girl from the same school have died after being hit by a high-speed train in Hertfordshire.

The youngsters – one of whom has been named as 15-year-old Charleigh Disbrey – are believed to have climbed over a fence close to Elstree and Borehamwood station.

There are no level crossings near the station and the deaths are not being treated as suspicious.
Miss Disbrey and the other teenager – a sixth form pupil who was midway through his A-level exams – went to Hertswood Academy in Borehamwood.

Headteacher Peter Gillett said: “As a close community, obviously we are devastated by this tragedy. Both students were talented, hard working and well respected members of our academy.

“Our thoughts are with their families at this most difficult time. We are supporting our students and staff in coping with this terrible loss.”
Friends of the two teenagers paid tribute to the pair on social networking sites.

One Twitter user wrote: “I’m actually so shocked. I saw them walking together like nearly everyday on the way to Hertswood. They looked so happy. #RIP”

“I will never forget you and the memories we made,” a friend of Miss Dibrey posted on Facebook.
A spokesman for British Transport Police said both teenagers were pronounced dead at the scene.

“Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the two teenagers involved in last night’s tragic and acutely sad incident,” Superintendent Phil Wilkinson said.

“Although my officers are continuing their investigations, as part of our work to prepare a file for the local coroner, there are not thought to be any suspicious circumstances and no one else is believed to have been involved.”

A First Capital Connect spokesman added: “This was a shocking incident and our hearts go out to all those involved.”

Teens killed by train near Elstree and Borehamwood station (london24.com)
Assam: 5 army personnel arrested for molesting a teenaged girl (ibnlive.in.com)
Teenager arrested while in hospital for trespassing at Ilford station (ilfordrecorder.co.uk)
Mumbai: Teenager mows down 3-year-old, arrested (ibnlive.in.com)
Elstree selects its man (thejc.com)
Scammer clones profile (nzherald.co.nz)
TSA agent allegedly tells teenage girl to “cover herself” (salon.com)
‘Basted’, ‘Friendzoned’ and the Sillyness of Being In Love (ronjacobunabia.wordpress.com)
Suffolk: Rail services to and from London cancelled after person hit by train and killed (eadt.co.uk)
Bovingdon man to go on trial accused of murder (watfordobserver.co.uk)

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Facebook and Microsoft release figures on government data requests

June 15, 2013 cbcburke9 1 Comment

Publicité pour Twitter et Facebook sur la vers... — Publicité pour Twitter et Facebook sur la version hébreu de Wikipédia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Microsoft Building (Photo credit: Artotem)

Image representing Facebook as depicted in Cru... — Image via CrunchBase

Facebook and Microsoft have disclosed how many government requests they have received for user data following the Prism surveillance scandal that’s enveloped the tech world.
Following reports on Friday, Facebook revealed, after pushing the government for transparency, it had been granted permission to disclose the volume of requests from law enforcement and agencies like the NSA.
In the six months leading up to the end of December 2012, Facebook said it received between 8,000 and 9,000 requests relating to up to 18,000 to 19,000 individual profiles.
These requests, the company said, spanned cases like sheriffs hunting missing children, police investigating an assault, marshalls tracking a fugitive or the NSA probing a terrorist threat.
No specifics on FISA

In a blog post Facebook reiterated that, of these requests, some are rejected outright, while it often asks the government to scale back requests or simply doesn’t serve up everything the government asks.
What the figures don’t state is how many of those requests were made or granted under the controversial Foreign Surveillance Intelligence Act (FISA), but Facebook said it will continue to push that data to be revealed.
The social network wrote: “We will continue to be vigilant in protecting our users’ data from unwarranted government requests, and we will continue to push all governments to be as transparent as possible.”
‘Great start,’ says Microsoft

Soon after Facebook’s disclosure, Microsoft followed up by revealing it had been subject to 6,000 to 7,000 requests in relation to 31,000 to 32,000 accounts, in the six months leading up to December 31 2012.
Those requests spanned “criminal and national security warrants, subpoenas and orders,” from local, state and national agencies, but the company said it wasn’t allowed to be more specific in relation to FISA requests.
In a blog post, John Frank, Microsoft’s Vice President & Deputy General Counsel, said the company will continue to push for more information.
He wrote: “We appreciate the effort by U.S. government today to allow us to report more information. We understand they have to weigh carefully the impacts on national security of allowing more disclosures. With more time, we hope they will take further steps. Transparency alone may not be enough to restore public confidence, but it’s a great place to start.”
Google and Twitter push for specifics

Meanwhile, both Google and Twitter have shunned the opportunity to make similar disclosures, with the former stating that lumping criminal requests in with national security requests would be a backward step.
In a statement Google told AllThingsD: “We have always believed that it’s important to differentiate between different types of government requests. We already publish criminal requests separately from National Security Letters. Lumping the two categories together would be a step back for users. Our request to the government is clear: to be able to publish aggregate numbers of national security requests, including FISA disclosures, separately.”
In a tweet, Twitter’s legal director Benjamin Lee concurred with Google’s assessment. He wrote: “We agree with @google: It’s important to be able to publish numbers of national security requests—including FISA disclosures—separately.”
Google has protested its innocence during the last week, writing to the government to request permission to release the information. Twitter had been somewhat incubated from the criticism following reports it had been one of the few companies to take a hard-line stance with the government.
So there you have it. Is this the first step towards greater transparency over what the US government is seeking through its controversial PRISM surveillance scheme or simply a little appeasement in the hope that the scandal will die down? The onus is now on tech companies to keep pushing.

Web giants get broader surveillance revelations (thehimalayantimes.com)
Google opts out of FISA disclosure deal made by Facebook and Microsoft, calls it ‘a step back for users;’ Twitter agrees (theverge.com)
Web giants get broader surveillance revelations (onlineathens.com)
Facebook reveals details of US data requests (thenewstribe.com)
Facebook turns user data over to NSA (q13fox.com)
Facebook Is Finally Releasing Its Data On US Government Requests (gizmodo.com.au)
Guess how many of your Facebook friends government spies looked into (dailydot.com)
Google opts out of FISA disclosure deal, calls it ‘a step back for users’ (mobile.theverge.com)
What Facebook, Microsoft say they can now reveal about U.S. surveillance (ctvnews.ca)
The Government’s FISA Requests Shell Game Scam (lauren.vortex.com)

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Arrest first – ask questions later.

May 6, 2013 cbcburke9 1 Comment

Threadless - Nigel Evan Dennis, Michael Sulliv... — Threadless – Nigel Evan Dennis, Michael Sullivan, Chuck Anderson (Photo credit: Elevate Printing)

Now it’s the turn of Deputy Speaker Nigel Evans to have his life turned upside down over allegations of sexual assault.

He was arrested in a blaze of flashbulbs and television lights and accused of rape by two men he had ‘regarded as friends’. His house and car have been searched and bags of ‘evidence’ taken away by detectives. But, as yet, he still hasn’t been charged with anything.

As with the procession of ageing TV personalities targeted by the Jimmy Savile Squad, I make no comment on the veracity of the allegations. They are all innocent until proven guilty. Last night, we learned that Jimmy Tarbuck has been added to the list of celebrities arrested and questioned.

Let me reiterate what I wrote back in January when Jim Davidson had his collar felt at Heathrow Airport over an incident supposed to have taken place 25 years ago.

The police have a duty to investigate complaints of sexual assault. Just because an allegation is ‘historic’ it doesn’t mean it should be ignored. If there is compelling evidence it must be tested in court.

We don’t know the specific details of the accusations made against Nigel Evans. He says he is mystified by the allegations, which he vehemently denies.

Perhaps it really was necessary to subject his property to the full CSI treatment. But what concerns me is the increasing tendency of the police to arrest first and ask questions later in high-profile sex cases.

What used to happen was that someone would make a complaint, the police would take a statement and test its credibility.

If it appeared that the person being accused had a case to answer, they would initially be interviewed under caution. If the Press got a whiff of it, the Old Bill would say merely that someone was ‘helping with our inquiries’.

When the police were satisfied they had enough evidence, the accused would be charged, named and the law would take its course. After that, reporting restrictions applied until the trial. In the recent spate of celebrity sex cases — and now Nigel Evans — that process is being turned on its head.

The police are formally arresting suspects as a basis for negotiation, even without sufficient potential evidence for a conviction, and then setting about building their case.
It’s part of a trend which first became apparent when they started rounding up journalists in the phone hacking inquiry. Dawn raids and ransacking houses became standard operating procedure.

The reason police now arrest people first as a matter of course is that it spares them the inconvenience of having to apply to a magistrate for a search warrant. This allows them to go on fishing expeditions in search of incriminating evidence.

As I wrote in January, there is also the suspicion that these heavy-handed, high-profile arrests are intended to create an impression of guilt, like the American ‘perp walk’ where suspects are paraded in front of the cameras.

In the case of Stuart Hall, who has confessed to a string of sex offences, the police can rightly claim that their tactics were successful. It was only after his arrest that most of his victims started coming forward and he was shamed into pleading guilty.

Hall’s humiliating downfall also demolishes the ridiculous Leveson recommendation that the names of people suspected of criminal offences should be kept secret. Without the publicity surrounding his arrest, Hall’s victims would have stayed silent and he may have got away with a lifetime of sex crimes.
And yet, and yet.

There’s an old legal maxim that ‘hard cases make bad law’. And just because these tactics worked on Stuart Hall, it doesn’t mean they are justified in every case.

Hall confessed because police convinced him they had established an overwhelming ‘pattern of behaviour’. But since when has a ‘pattern of behaviour’ been sufficient evidence to secure a criminal conviction beyond a reasonable doubt?

I appreciate that sex crimes are notoriously difficult to prove. The case often boils down to ‘he said, she said’ — or, in the case of Nigel Evans, ‘he said, he said’. Juries, too, are reluctant to convict celebrities of anything. So I would imagine it is helpful to the prosecution to create an impression of guilt before any trial.

Yet no matter how much the police and CPS may wish to influence the jury pool in advance, that still isn’t an argument for throwing a protective blanket over the identities of the accused. For once I am in complete agreement with the former Met chief Ian Blair, who insists that suspects must be named when they are arrested.
Innocent or guilty, Nigel Evans isn’t the first – and won’t be the last – to have his life turned upside down

Innocent or guilty, Nigel Evans isn’t the first – and won’t be the last – to have his life turned upside down

Secret justice runs counter to centuries of British jurisprudence. And so does the ducking stool, which went out in the Middle Ages.

I also agree with Blair when he says there is a ‘real problem’ with high-profile figures who are arrested with full ceremony and subsequently either not charged or found not guilty.

Often, it’s too late. Their lives have been put on hold and, sometimes, utterly destroyed. Even before charges have been brought, Nigel Evans has stepped back temporarily from his official duties.

Jim Davidson was dropped from Celebrity Big Brother, which cost him his TV comeback and a small fortune. He still hasn’t been charged. Regardless of whether or not they are exonerated, the mud sticks. They’ll always be remembered as the MP/TV personality in ‘that sex case’.

There’s also the added complication of those prepared to make false allegations simply to discredit someone they dislike, or because they think there might be a drink in it for them.

The BBC has announced it will pay compensation to victims of Hall and Savile. How long before every woman with a signed photograph of either man, or a 40-year-old ticket stub from Top Of The Pops or It’s A Knockout, slaps in a claim?

It’s not so much a matter of how they could ever prove it — how could you ever prove they were lying? Easier to write the cheque.

In the current, fevered atmosphere, anyone who comes forward with a false allegation of sexual assault against a high-profile individual will automatically be taken seriously.

As a passionate believer in free speech and the public’s right to know, I abhor secret justice. But a little less grandstanding and a little more discretion on the part of the police and the CPS is essential.

We are heading towards an American-style system in which every high-profile trial is played out in public long before it ever gets to court.

Turning celebrity ‘arrests’ into a three-ring circus ultimately damages the interests of justice.

Even if some of these well-known figures are guilty, as and when they are eventually charged, they can’t possibly expect a fair trial.

They will already have been dragged through the court of public opinion, with judgment passed on social networks.

This is justice for the Age of Twitter. Arrest someone first, then round up a flash mob to convict them.

Innocent or guilty, Nigel Evans isn’t the first — and won’t be the last — to have his life turned upside down.

Nigel Evans’ Bruise On His Forehead (ukgovernmentwatch.wordpress.com)
Nigel Evans should stay in his post, says former chief whip Andrew Mitchell (standard.co.uk)
Tory MP Nigel Evans Bailed In Male Rape Inquiry (ukgovernmentwatch.wordpress.com)
nigel evans mp arrested suspicion of rape and sexual assault (thesun.co.uk)
Nigel Evans thanks supporters during ‘difficult time’ (itv.com)
Tory MP Nigel Evans denies rape and sexual assault claim as ‘completely false’ (independent.co.uk)
Hague: ‘Sorry to see’ Nigel Evans situation (itv.com)
Nigel Evans, Deputy House of Commons Speaker, Arrested On Suspicion Of Rape (huffingtonpost.com)
Nigel Evans: Minister prepared to speak to police about sexual assault allegation (telegraph.co.uk)
Nigel Evans ‘should not step down’ (standard.co.uk)

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Bruised and battered Danny Cipriani leaves hospital on crutches after being hit by a double-decker bus on pub crawl Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2314520/Kelly-Brooks-boyfriend-Danny-Cipriani-hospitalised-hit-double-decker-bus.

April 25, 2013 cbcburke9 2 Comments

English: Kelly Brook at the January 2009 Londo... — English: Kelly Brook at the January 2009 London Boat Show. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

"Pyrate" Pub Crawl, French Quarter, ... — “Pyrate” Pub Crawl, French Quarter, New Orleans. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Danny Cipriani was pictured leaving hospital on crutches after colliding with a double-decker bus on a pub crawl on Wednesday night.
The rugby ace was seen looking battered and bruised as he hobbled out of Leeds General Infirmary, with several deep grazes on his face.
Danny also appeared to have bruises on his left arm, which could just be seen underneath his tattoo sleeve.
The 25-year-old also looked in good spirits as he made his way to his waiting car, smiling slightly as he was aided by a friend on his journey.
Despite the accident, which potentially could have been fatal, Danny has retained his sense of humour, and tweeted after leaving hospital: ‘My ribs are a bit sore… Feel like I’ve been hit by a bus.’
Danny was lucky not to have been injured further in the accident, which occurred following tA picture from the scene shows Danny strapped to a stretcher, attended to by paramedics and Yorkshire police, as the windscreen of the number 6 bus is completely smashed in.
Witnesses said they saw the group ‘running around drunkenly in the road’ just before the smash at 20.39pm on Wednesday evening, with one adding: ‘Every bit of the bus front window is smashed to pieces, imagine what the guy looks like.’
The group of friends had adopted a ‘Wizard of Oz’ theme for the event, beginning at Woody’s just before 2pm, with Danny’s teammate Will Addison tweeting ‘And so it begins’.
Stuart McCall, duty manager of the Eldon pub told student paper The Tab that the group were very drunk, adding: ‘They had beer bongs and funnels and spent £200 in 15 minutes.
‘They were stopping traffic in the Hyde Park crossing, and when I refused to serve three of them they ran down the road.’
Danny’s manager James added: ‘It was a group social, I don’t think you can single out Danny for certain behaviour. I haven’t spoken to him yet but he is at home recovering and is a bit shaken up.’
He also said that Danny was never refused service during the crawl.
After being treated at the scene in Woodhouse Lane, in the north of the city, for a concussion, Danny was taken to the nearest hospital to have further scans and investigations completed.
Writing on his Twitter page on Thursday afternoon, Danny confirmed he had since been discharged from hospital, tweeting: ‘Out of hospital now. Once again, thank you for the messages.’
The Sale Sharks star’s manager James Williamson told the BBC Cipriani is ‘quite groggy’ and ‘does not remember much about the incident.’
‘At the moment there doesn’t seem to have been any serious damage done. We don’t how long he will be out for. It looks like he has been a lucky boy,’ added Williamson.
Bus company First said Danny ‘ran suddenly into the road’ colliding with its number 6 bus which was ‘travelling at a safe speed’.
‘The police have investigated this incident and have reported that First and its driver are not at fault. We understand the pedestrian is an England rugby international, and we wish him a speedy recovery’, the spokesman added.
Danny’s model girlfriend Kelly was back in London, filming the latest episode of ITV2 show Celebrity Juice.
It is understood that Danny’s friends and management team frantically attempted to contact the model following the accident.
Despite her worry, she did managed to tweet Cipriani when he left hospital, dubbing him ‘flat white’.
After he thanked the Celebrity Juice Twitter feed for the ‘get well soon’ message, Kelly wrote: ‘@DannyCipriani87 @celebjuice Your New Name #FlatWhite.’
Staff at the Leeds hospital where Cipriani was being treated were today hoping Brook would visit, with nurse Stephanie Burnett tweeting: ‘Bit of celeb spotting at work tonight… Shame I’m not a rugby fan! Maybe Kelly Brook will come for a visit?! #makemyshiftintresting.’
Earlier his agent told The Sun: ‘He was running across the road and just misjudged the speed of the bus.’
Danny and his teammates had been enjoying themselves on the infamous ‘Otley Run’ pub crawl.
The Otley Run pub crawl is a popular choice for stag dos and starts at Woodies Ale House, ending at The Dry Dock.
Images from the evening showed the sportsman with his face painted, as the team had dressed up for the night out.
Following the incident, one witness expressed his shock on Twitter, writing: ‘Some guy’s been hit by a bus outside Leeds uni and every bit of the bus front window is smashed to pieces, imagine what the guy looks like.’
And student Molly Bridgeman, 18, added: ‘The front right corner of the bus was caved in. There were four police cars there. It was horrific.’
A passenger who was on the bus that hit Cipriani, Erin Bailey, said: ‘I saw him go in front of the windscreen, but I didn’t see him running out but we could see them before that running in and out of the road’.
Student Ellie Parkes said: ‘The front was really smashed up. The scene was quite chilling, his friends were all there by the ambulance still in fancy dress, not really knowing what to do.
‘According to a lady I spoke to, minutes before they were all drunkenly running about in the road.’
But seemingly unaware of the incident, Kelly looked in good spirits as she returned home after the show, smiling widely as she made her way out of her car.

Kelly Brook’s boyfriend Danny Cipriani hospitalised after being hit by a double-decker bus (thisismoney.co.uk)
Kelly Brook’s boyfriend Danny Cipriani hospitalised after being hit by a double-decker bus (dailymail.co.uk)
Danny Cipriani jokes on Twitter that he feels like he’s ‘been hit by a bus’….. (after being hit by a bus) (metro.co.uk)
Kelly Brook’s boyfriend Danny Cipriani rushed to hospital after being hit by bus on night out (mirror.co.uk)
Danny Cipriani pictured lying stricken on a stretcher after being knocked down by a double-decker bus (mirror.co.uk)
Rugby Player Hit By Bus, Tweets ‘I Feel Like I’ve Been Hit By A Bus’ (sportsgrid.com)
Danny Cipriani in hospital after being hit by double-decker bus on night out (mirror.co.uk)
Rugby star Danny Cipriani in hospital after being hit by bus (metro.co.uk)
Danny Cipriani in hospital after being hit by a bus in Leeds (theweek.co.uk)
PICTURED: The moment Kelly Brook’s boyfriend Danny Cipriani is hit by double-decker bus after city pub crawl (laurelbabeblog.wordpress.com)

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As second Boston bomber is captured, new questions on immigrants and adjustment

April 20, 2013 cbcburke9 1 Comment

Boston Police Department (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Cornered in a boat after gun battles with police had left him injured and bloodied, the teenage brother of a radicalized Chechen who was killed in firefight with Boston police was captured alive on Friday. The finale, which ended the four-day drama that began with the bombing of the Boston Marathon on Monday, allegedly by the Chechen brothers, raised the possibility that US authorities may be able to unravel fully and clearly the motive behind the first successful foreign-inspired terrorist attack on mainland America after 9/11.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, was found hiding in a dry-docked boat in the Boston suburb of Watertown, not far from where he and his brother engaged police in pitched battles after a car chase on Thursday. A resident who had been cooped up at home all day following a government initiated lockdown during the manhunt reportedly went out for a smoke, and found a trail of bloodstains leading to his tarp-covered boat.

He reeled back to call the police, who used thermal imaging to determine a wounded person was hiding under the tarp. He was then captured or coaxed into surrendering after a two-hour exercise during which police disoriented him with various tactics including smoke and stun grenades.

Minutes later, Boston mayor Tom Menino tweeted, “We got him!” The Boston police department also took to the much-maligned social media, tweeting, “CAPTURED!!! The hunt is over. The search is done. The terror is over. And justice has won.” Area residents, and indeed much of Boston, which has been under an unprecedented lockdown for much of the day during the manhunt, flooded the streets. They cheered the cops and chants of “USA!USA!” broke out in some places in an unscripted moment of exuberant nationalism.

The concern in many quarters is whether the episode will fire up xenophobia and immigrant-bashing, some of it already evident during the manhunt, after it emerged the perpetrators of the Boston marathon bombing were foreigners, or at least foreign-looking. Already, there are calls for greater deliberation on the immigration reform legislation now in its final stages in Congress.

Perhaps to temper the mood, President Obama on Friday referred obliquely to the long, normal years the two young men had spent in the US chasing the American dream after emigrating from the Russian Caucasus, while pledging that his administration will “investigate any associations that these terrorists may have had.”

“Why did young men who grew up and studied here, as part of our communities and our country, resort to such violence? How did they plan and carry out these attacks, and did they receive any help?” the President asked, echoing the questions that are ringing out in many domains and in many communities.

Obama then cautioned: “In this age of instant reporting and tweets and blogs, there’s a temptation to latch on to any bit of information, sometimes to jump to conclusions. But when a tragedy like this happens, with public safety at risk and the stakes so high, it’s important that we do this right. That’s why we have investigations. That’s why we relentlessly gather the facts. That’s why we have courts. And that’s why we take care not to rush to judgment — not about the motivations of these individuals; certainly not about entire groups of people.”

After all, the US president continued, “one of the things that makes America the greatest nation on Earth, but also, one of the things that makes Boston such a great city, is that we welcome people from all around the world — people of every faith, every ethnicity, from every corner of the globe. So as we continue to learn more about why and how this tragedy happened, let’s make sure that we sustain that spirit.” Whether that spirit will be tested only the coming days will reveal.

The picture that is gradually emerging from the Boston episode is that of a Chechen Muslim family that fled the bloody civil war in the separatist-wracked Caucacus and somehow made its way to the US as political refugees, but had difficulty integrating fully into the country and retained strong links and sentiments for their homeland and its troubles.

The father Anzor Tsarnaev worked as an auto mechanic in the Boston region. Of his four children, who are reported to have joined him in stages, the elder son Tamerlan, who arrived last in America, was least able to adjust to the new country. He dropped out of a community college where he was studying accounting and trained to become a boxer, expressing a desire to represent the US rather than Russia, which has crushed a separatist movement in his native Chechnya.

At some point, Tamerlan appears to have gotten radicalized. Investigators are probing when and how this could have happened, focusing in particular on a recent six-month trip he made to the Chechnya region, and whether that included a foray to terrorism schools in the AfPak region where many Chechens go to train and fight.

It also transpires that the FBI had Tamerlan on their radar after being alerted by the Russian government which has crushed a separatist movements in its Muslim-dominated Caucasus, including Chechnya. They questioned him two years ago, but he was taken off the watch-list after they found nothing alarming.

Meanwhile their parents had returned to the Caucasus some years back, but the children settled in America. Tamerlan even got married to his American girlfriend and had a child with her, but evidently never felt at ease in a society where, he once confessed, he had to treat women with respect (he was detained for assaulting a girlfriend). “I don’t have a single American friend. I don’t understand them,” he moped in another interview to a college campus magazine.

But the younger Dzhokhar, who came to the US earlier and had much of his schooling in America, adjusted better and was seen as a bright, friendly kid. Although Muslim, the family appear to have shown any radical tendencies. In fact, friends and associates portray Dzhokhar as a stoner kid who liked smoking marijuana, skateboarding, and listening to rap music.

His Twitter feed is largely one of teenage angst and jokey asides (“Never try to fork a mini tomato while wearing a white shirt, it will explode”) although he started to shows disillusionment beginning last year when he appears to have come under his elder brother’s influence, a conclusion corroborated by some family members, including an uncle in Maryland who thinks the elder brother was a loser.

“A decade in America already, I want out,” Dzhokar tweets on March 14, 2012, more than a year before he accompanies his brother on that fateful expedition to the Boston marathon. On January 15, 2013 is an entry that reads: “I don’t argue with fools who say islam is terrorism it’s not worth a thing, let an idiot remain an idiot.”

Boston Marathon Video Tour – During The Race (boston.cbslocal.com)
What’s on Your Boston Marathon Plate? (boston.com)
Meb Keflezighi Pulls Out Of Boston Marathon With Calf Injury (boston.cbslocal.com)
Chat with Boston Marathon winner Amby Burfoot (boston.com)
Jihad in Russia: Jihad bombing in Chechen capital, 3 Russian servicemen killed, another 3 wounded (atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com)
Final Marathon Taper Week. Bring on the Boston Marathon!!!! (organicrunnermom.com)
Wesley Korir – Man on the Run (tonireavis.com)
Chechnya, Ingushetia On Collision Course Over Border Dispute (rferl.org)
Although it’s not a sponsor, New Balance prepares another marathon campaign (bizjournals.com)
Boston marathon elite runners to help train Boston public school track teams (boston.com)

used

Divorce Causes: 23 Reasons Marriages End In Divorce, According To Divorced People

April 6, 2013 cbcburke9 Leave a comment

English: Studio publicity portrait of Paul New... — English: Studio publicity portrait of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Why do some marriages last a lifetime, while some end in divorce? For every pair of marriage lifers (think Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward), there’s a couple like Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries, barely making it through two months. Why, though? Are there some behaviors that are just universally destructive to a marriage?

On Wednesday, we asked our followers on Facebook and Twitter to share with us the reasons they think marriages end in divorce.

The responses ranged from a lack of sex, to a lack of positive interaction — one reader even devised a formula: according to him, if there are less than five positive interactions for every one negative interaction, you’re in trouble.

Click through the slideshow below to read the responses, then head to the comments to tell us why you think marriages end in divorce.

Marriages End Because…
17 of 24


“In my case,the person I married was not the person he claimed to be. Only when the mask fell did I realize I was in trouble.”
– @big_red_flag


Peet Peeve #1: The Sanctimonous “Divorce is Not an Option” Statement (oncetheinkdries.wordpress.com)
Consultancy fights to end divorce (thezimbabwean.co.uk)
Who is responsible for divorce in love marriage case (expertscolumn.com)
A divorced mans perspective (prettyinpink1980.wordpress.com)
Kim Kardashian’s Marriage To Kris Humphries ‘A Sham,’ Says His Family (hollywoodlife.com)
May 6 Court Date Finally Set For Kim Kardashian, Kris Humphries Divorce Trial (contactmusic.com)
Why Kordell Stewart Finally Filed For Divorce (celebnmusic247.com)
Day 92 – Matthew 19:1-12; Mark 10:1-12 (vesselsofclay.org)
Kim Kardashian And Kris Humphries Divorce Trial Date (celebnmusic247.com)
Senate bill would make it harder to untie knot in NC (wral.com)

used

Katie Price and Rio Ferdinand’s tweets probed by ads watchdog – mirror.co.uk

January 26, 2012 cbcburke9 Leave a comment

Rio Ferdinand, English footballer. Plays in th... — Image via Wikipedia

English: English glamour model, television per... — Image via Wikipedia

Katie Price at Clothes Show Live — Image by littledutchboy via Flickr

Katie Price and Rio Ferdinand’s tweets probed by ads watchdog – mirror.co.uk.Money can make you stupid.

UK probes Snickers over ‘celebrity’ Twitter adverts (go.theregister.com)
Laurel Papworth: Mars faces censure over Twitter Snickers spoof | Marketing Week http://t.co/E48UfHk9 #WatchOut (marketingweek.co.uk)
Rio Ferdinand at Centre of Drugs Bust – Arrest Made (football-talk.co.uk)
Beauty Byte: Katie Price Launches Stunning (bellasugar.com)
Ashley Cole and Jay-Z business partner held over murder (thesun.co.uk)
Rio Ferdinand settles privacy dispute with Sunday Mirror (guardian.co.uk)
EPL :: Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand and Ryan Giggs set to return against Newcastle ? (theoriginalwinger.com)
Peter Andre and Katie Price relationship at all-time low, it is claimed (mirror.co.uk)
Katie Price news: Jordan poses in a spotty bikini in Miami (thesun.co.uk)
Guess What Glamour Model Katie Price Is Tweeting About (thegloss.com)

justice, Politics, used

MP Say’s SORRY for White’s Divide and Rule

January 6, 2012 cbcburke9 Leave a comment

Looking back I taught we have seen the back of 2011 and looking forward to 2012 without been drag back into the Racist saga.
No my dear friends it is alleged a member of Parliament naming ( Diane Abbott ) has now caused another slur by tweeting White’s Divide and Rule.
Personally I believe that is very much unacceptable especially coming from such an long standing member who have represent the Black community for so long in the house of Parliament.
If Footballers can be punished for their banter on the pitch then it is only right that such Parliamentarian should be punish also, it would better for not just making an Apology but to resigned her post with effectiveness, one should be ashamed of such public comments,
It does not matter what origin one are such comment is very much unacceptable in the eyes of those who are willing to move on in the right direction in living together and accepting each other as one natural human being that God‘s has created, let’s get a grip and move on.

Diane Abbott apologises over ‘divide and rule’ tweet (100gf.wordpress.com)
White people ‘divide and rule’? Don’t be a fool, Miliband tells Abbott (independent.co.uk)
Diane Abbott apologises after ‘white people divide & rule’ tweet (thetimes.co.uk)
Uk News: Mp Diane Abbott Apologises Over Twitter ‘Race Row’ (madnewsuk.com)
Diane Abbott forced to apologise in racism row after claiming ‘White people love playing divide and rule’ (telegraph.co.uk)
Ruling Class Plays Divide and Rule Over Abbott Tweet (infantile-disorder.blogspot.com)
Diane Abbott ‘racist’ tweets: MP faces calls to resign over divide and rule comment (dailymail.co.uk)
Diane Abbott accused of racism over Twitter post (guardian.co.uk)
Just apologise, Diane Abbott, and we can move on (blogs.telegraph.co.uk)
Diane Abbott: ‘White people love playing divide and rule’ (telegraph.co.uk)

used

Women say Kids get in the way.

September 13, 2011 cbcburke9 2 Comments

For those Women who think’s that having Children gets in the way of their life style,careers or looks, thgeir is only one question that I would like to ask.
When you are unable would you ask another person child to assist you, I guess not, as I did rather say let your lifestyle,career and looks do you the honours or rotted in hell.