osmoothie

March 13, 2010 12:44 pm

Venezuela murder rate has quadrupled under Hugo Chávez

Miami News, “Venezuela Murder Rate Has Quadrupled Under Hugo Chávez”
by Kyle Munzenrieder

One person is murdered every two hours in Venezuela, according to new statistics released by the independent Venezuelan Observatory of Violence.

The murder rate in the South American country has more than quadrupled since Hugo Chávez came to power in 1999. There were 54 homicides per 100,000 people last year, a rate only exceeded on the continent by El Salvador, where there were 70 homicides per 100,000 citizens.

“The problem is not so much the criminals, but rather the government’s inaction and lack of policies,” Roberto Briceño León, director of the VOV, told reporters.

Miami News article continues here.

March 13, 2010 12:44 pm

IRS visits Sacramento carwash in pursuit of 4 cents

The Sacramento Bee, “IRS visits Sacramento carwash in pursuit of 4 cents”
by Bob Shallit

It was every businessperson’s nightmare.

Arriving at Harv’s Metro Car Wash in midtown Wednesday afternoon were two dark-suited IRS agents demanding payment of delinquent taxes. “They were deadly serious, very aggressive, very condescending,” says Harv’s owner, Aaron Zeff.

The really odd part of this: The letter that was hand-delivered to Zeff’s on-site manager showed the amount of money owed to the feds was … 4 cents.

Inexplicably, penalties and taxes accruing on the debt – stemming from the 2006 tax year – were listed as $202.31, leaving Harv’s with an obligation of $202.35.

The Sacramento Bee article continues here.

March 13, 2010 12:44 pm

EU planning to bailout Greece

Google News (UKPKA), “EU develops Greece bailout options”

The EU has developed a set of options to help Greece overcome its financial crisis, which has unsettled the euro currency and markets globally, officials said.

But Athens will have to arrange for possible loan guarantees with individual EU governments, they said.

“There are intensive consultations on a bilateral basis in case Greece needs support for a special loan guarantee that a number of countries could come to provide,” said Cristina Gallach, spokeswoman for the Spanish presidency of the 27-nation EU.

Google News (UKPKA) article continues here.

March 12, 2010 1:40 pm

Krauthammer: Biden overruling the Senate Parliamentarian would be a ‘Thermal Nuclear Option’

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March 12, 2010 11:19 am

House panel to consider healthcare bill Monday

Yahoo! News (Reuters), “House panel to consider healthcare bill Monday”

The House of Representatives Budget Committee on Monday will consider a reconciliation bill that Democrats hope clears the way for final congressional approval of an overhaul of U.S. healthcare, House Democratic Leader Steny Hoyer said on Friday.

Representative Jim Clyburn, a member of the House Democratic leadership, said he hopes a vote by the full chamber could be held on the measure within the next 10 days.

Yahoo! News (Reuters) article continues here.

March 12, 2010 11:18 am

Man at wheel of ‘out-of-control’ Prius has troubled financial past

Fox News, “Man at Wheel of ‘Out-of-Control’ Prius Has Troubled Financial Past”

The man who became the face of the Toyota gas pedal scandal this week has a troubled financial past that is leading some to question whether he was wholly truthful in his story.

On Monday, James Sikes called 911 to report that he was behind the wheel of an out-of-control Toyota Prius going 94 mph on a freeway near San Diego. Twenty-three minutes later, a California Highway Patrol officer helped guide him to a stop, a rescue that was captured on videotape.

Since then, it’s been learned that:

— Sikes filed for bankruptcy in San Diego in 2008. According to documents, he was more than $700,000 in debt and roughly five months behind in payments on his Prius;

— In 2001, Sikes filed a police report with the Merced County Sheriff’s Department for $58,000 in stolen property, including jewelry, a digital video camera and equipment and $24,000 in cash;

— Sikes has hired a law firm, though it has indicated he has no plans to sue Toyota;

— Sikes won $55,000 on television’s “The Big Spin” in 2006, Fox40.com reports, and the real estate agent has boasted of celebrity clients such as Constance Ramos of “Extreme Home Makeover.”

Fox News article continues here.

March 12, 2010 11:18 am

Obama puts off overseas trip to focus on healthcare reform battle

The Hill, “Obama puts off overseas trip to focus on healthcare reform battle”
by Michael O’Brien

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs confirmed the decision to delay the trip from March 18 to March 21 in a message on Twitter.

Obama was set to leave March 18, and the White House hoped the House would approve the Senate’s healthcare bill by that time.

But House leaders have pushed back at the deadline, criticizing Gibbs and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel in the process.

Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said Tuesday that meeting the White House deadline is highly unlikely.

The Hill article continues here.

March 12, 2010 11:18 am

Report: Obama Justice Department shut down federal ACORN investigation

Breitbart (PR Newswire), “Obama Justice Department Shut Down Federal ACORN Investigation According to Documents Obtained by Judicial Watch”

Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that it has obtained documents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) detailing federal investigations into the alleged corrupt activities of Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN). The documents reference serious allegations of corruption and voter registration fraud by ACORN as well as the Obama administration’s decision to shut down a criminal investigation without filing criminal charges.

The documents include background information on two specific complaints filed in October 2008 by Lucy Corelli and Joseph Borges, Republican Registrars of Voters in Stamford and Bridgeport, Connecticut, respectively, during the 2008 election season.

Breitbart (PR Newswire) article continues here.

March 12, 2010 11:18 am

Al Qaeda suspect worked at U.S. nuclear plants

Fox News, “Al Qaeda Suspect Worked at U.S. Nuclear Plants”

An American charged in Yemen with being a member of Al Qaeda had worked at nuclear power plants in the U.S., a spokesman for a group of plants in New Jersey said Thursday. But a state official said the man did not breach security there.

Sharif Mobley, a 26-year-old natural-born U.S. citizen, was arrested in Yemen earlier this month and is accused of killing a guard in an attempt to break out of a hospital.

The FBI, the State Department and other authorities said they were trying to gather information about Mobley. But the allegations appeared to illustrate a phenomenon U.S. intelligence officials have warned about: American Muslims becoming radicalized and joining terrorist movements overseas.

Fox News article continues here.

March 12, 2010 11:17 am

For first time, U.S. will submit criticism of its own human rights record to U.N.

CNSNews, “For First Time, U.S. Will Submit Criticism of Its Own Human Rights Record to U.N. Human Rights Council”
by Penny Starr

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Thursday that the State Department is soliciting comments from citizens, advocacy groups and other non-governmental organizations on the human rights record of the United States.

“Human rights are universal, but their experience is local. This is why we are committed to holding everyone to the same standard, including ourselves,” Clinton told a press briefing at the State Department, where she unveiled the “2009 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices.”

Clinton said the U.S. is now gathering facts on its own record because – as a member of the U.N. Human Rights Council – it is participating in the UNHRC’s “universal periodic review” process.

CNSNews article continues here.

March 12, 2010 11:17 am

States may hold onto tax refunds for months

USA Today, “States may hold onto tax refunds for months”
by William M. Welch

Residents eager to get their state tax refunds may have a long wait this year: The recession has tied up cash and caused officials in half a dozen states to consider freezing refunds, in one case for as long as five months.

States from New York to Hawaii that have been hard-hit by the economic downturn say they have either delayed refunds or are considering doing so because of budget shortfalls.

“It’s an indicator of how bad it is,” says Scott Pattison, executive director of the National Association of State Budget Officers. “You know things are bad when you have to do that.”

USA Today article continues here.

March 12, 2010 1:06 am

White House backs away from March 18 deadline

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March 12, 2010 1:06 am

No regrets for Sweedish cartoonist, ready “to chop down” any intruders

Yahoo! News, “Several Swedish papers publish Prophet Muhammad drawing after alleged plot to murder artist”
by Louise Nordstrom

Vilks submitted the drawing to an exhibit at a Swedish cultural heritage centre, which turned it down, citing security concerns. The issue went largely unnoticed until a Swedish newspaper printed the drawing with an editorial defending the freedom of expression.

The publication led to protests from Muslim countries, and briefly revived a heated debate in the West and the Muslim world about religious sensitivities and the limits of free speech.

It also led to numerous death threats against Vilks, who was temporarily moved to a secret location after al-Qaida in Iraq put a $100,000 bounty on his head in September 2007.

The 63-year-old artist told AP he has now built his own defence system, including a “homemade” safe room and a barbed-wire sculpture that could electrocute potential intruders. He also has an axe “to chop down” anyone trying to climb through the windows of his home, in southern Sweden.

Yahoo! News article continues here.

March 12, 2010 1:04 am

Gibbs on Obama’s scolding of Supreme Court, “perfectly acceptable”

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March 12, 2010 1:03 am

Google: We will pull out of China before accepting country’s censorship laws

The Hill, “Google: We will pull out of China before accepting country’s censorship laws”
by Kim Hart

Google said it is fully prepared to shut down its China operation if that is the only way to end the country’s censorship of its networks.

“Google is firm in its decision to stop censoring in China,” said Nicole Wong, Google’s deputy general counsel, in a hearing today before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. “We do not underestimate the seriousness or sensitivity of the decision is made…We are not going to change our decision.”

“If the option is that we shutter our .cn operation and leave the country, we are prepared to do that,” she said.

The Hill article continues here.