The German people were NOT in favor of what Hitler was doing.


Then why did so many of them vote for him?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/6011948/International-manhunt-after-Britains-biggest-ever-jewel-heist.html

The armed robbers posed as businessmen in suits to steal £40 million worth of rings, bracelets, necklaces and watches - encrusted with almost 1,500 individual diamonds.

The suspects were dropped off at Graff Diamonds in central London in a black taxicab last Thursday afternoon, but the value of their haul had not been disclosed until yesterday. They strolled past a security guard they turned handguns on the staff, briefly taking a woman employee hostage.


Within minutes the suspects had carefully chosen 43 of the store's most precious items, which were placed into a bag, before they escaped across the capital in a relay of three different cars. They fired at least two warning shots as they made their getaway.

The Metropolitan Police Flying Squad are investigating and yesterday released CCTV images of the robbers entering the store, as well as pictures of the stolen jewellery.

The suspects details have been circulated to all ports and airports but police believe they will have organised an escape route and may already have left the country.

Britain’s previous biggest diamond jewellery robbery is believed to be a £23 million raid, which also took place at Graff's, in 2003.

The two men, thought to be Londoners, arrived in a taxi at 4.40pm on August 6 and were only in the New Bond Street jewellers for a matter of minutes.

After being let in through the security doors both men produced handguns and threatened staff. They placed the jewels into a bag before briefly seizing a woman employee hostage.

She was taken outside but released when the raiders made their getaway in a blue BMW, having fired a warning shot above their heads.

Their escape was nearly foiled when the car crashed into a black cab in Dover Street. As the driver and punters from a nearby pub gave chase, one of the men fired another round into the ground to warn them off.

The men then switched to a silver Mercedes, and later again into a black vehicle, possibly a Ford Galaxy or VW Sharan.

It is suspected that the jewels, meanwhile, were transferred to a waiting motorcyclist who was able to escape quickly.

Police believe there were at least two other men who were acting as getaway drivers for three cars.

Detective Chief Inspector Pam Mace from Scotland Yard’s Flying Squad said: “This was a well planned robbery with a number of vehicles used to help the robbers escape. These men are extremely dangerous and fired at least two shots in busy London streets as they made their getaway.

“Someone knows who these men are, they would undoubtedly have spoken about it beforehand or boasted about it afterwards. I would urge anyone who recognises them, knows the whereabouts of the jewellery or has any other information to contact us.”

The first suspect is described as white, about 30, with a slim build, dark hair with a well-combed side parting, light stubble on his face and 5ft 10 - 6 ft tall. He was wearing a grey suit, white shirt and tie.

The second is described as black, also in his 30s, 6ft tall, more well built than the first suspect, and with very short Afro hair. He was also wearing a grey suit, white shirt and tie.

Detectives believe the raiders targeted the most expensive items in the store. One officer said: “They knew exactly what they were looking for and we suspect they already have a market for the jewels. “

The suspects details have been circulated to all ports and airports but police believe they would have organised an escape route and may already have left the country.

Being a victim of a serious crime is not a prerequisite for having a gun for self defense. Crime happens in all areas. Good neighborhoods are often targeted because there's better stuff to steal. Spend some time with some real criminals, of all sorts and maybe you'll get a better understanding of how the criminal mind works

Published: August 10, 2009

Updated: 03:24 pm

Related Links

Teens talk about the shooting
Michael Hanley, the 34-year-old man, who shot at a carload of teenagers, injuring one, appeared to be ready for a gunfight.

When deputies found his body slumped over the wheel of his 1997 Dodge Ram on Sunday evening, Hanley was armed with two high-power guns and wearing a bullet-proof vest, said Pasco Sheriff Bob White during a press conference Monday morning.

"He was armed and he was prepared to do battle," White said, "with whom, we don't know."

Hanley used one of the guns – a .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun – to fire at 2001 Jeep Wrangler filled with four teenaged boys during what White described as a road rage incident. Hanley fired the other gun – a .45-caliber assault rifle – into his own skull after he drove to Byrd Drive, off Gunn Highway near Odessa.

Deputies found Hanley dead inside his running truck around 5:45 Sunday night.

What led up to his death is not entirely clear but mental illness clearly played a vital role, White said. Hanley had bipolar disorder and used medication to control it, however, it's not known if he had been using his medications regularly, the sheriff said.

"When he didn't take his medications, he experienced relapses," White said.

Relatives told detectives Hanley had been acting out the past couple of weeks, often having heated arguments with family members, and he had not been to work as a small engine mechanic in two weeks. He couldn't hold a job because "he always has fights with people, his live-in girlfriend and mother of his child, told deputies

During those two weeks, White said, Hanley acquired the guns and vest. He does not appear to have a concealed weapons permit and they were still investigating if he got the guns through legal means.

A couple of hours before Hanley's body was found, deputies spoke with his girlfriend, Anastasia Hummel, who told deputies her boyfriend was "very irate and had an anger problem." Before he left the house at 1507 Lake Parker Drive, the couple shared with his parents, Hanley had an argument with all of them. As he left, a report states, he made several comments that he would not be back because he was going to kill himself. Hummel told deputies Hanley had two guns.

"She stated Michael would not go to jail and he would rather kill himself or shoot it out with police when located," a report states.

Hummel, White said, knew about the guns but was too afraid to report it. Hanley's parents, however, didn't know about the weapons, he added.

Hanley's relatives have declined to talk to reporters but White said he knows Hanley's family is going through a tough time.

"We feel for them," White said. "They are going through something right now that's horrific to them. We searched the home and we found no notes; nothing to give us a clue" about what happened. Family members thought Hanley was still taking his medication, he said.

A few years ago, Hanley had been taken into protective custody in New Jersey because of his instability, said Pasco County Sheriff Bob White. In that incident, Hanley had a handgun, which he legally owned. The gun was taken away from him, White said.

Sunday's incident occurred just after 4 p.m. at the intersection of Parker Pointe Boulevard and Gunn Highway in Odessa. That's where a Jeep driven by Andrew Sestok pulled up to a stop sign and paused. Sestok began to change a song on his iPod.

Hanley, in a Dodge pickup, was behind the 17-year-old, who had three of his friends in the Jeep with him. Hanley got irked that the Jeep was not going through the intersection, pulled up next to the vehicle and began yelling and waving a gun.

At least six rounds were fired, with four hitting the Jeep, White said.

As Sestok made a quick turn onto Gunn Highway, Hanley fired the handgun several times, striking the Jeep. A passenger, 17-year-old Stewart Jones, was shot twice in a leg. Jones was taken to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg where he was treated for his injuries.

Hanley of Odessa fled.

White said the teens did the right thing, even though they were fired upon.

The shooter, "rolled windows down and cursed and shouted at them," White said. "They [the teens] did the appropriate thing and drove away. These young people did nothing to provoke him. They just were at the wrong place at the wrong time.

"This could have been a tremendous tragedy," White said. "There were four young people in that car yesterday afternoon that could have meet an untimely demise."


http://suncoastpasco.tbo.com/content/2009/aug/10/101524/pasco-sheriff-road-rage-shooter-was-bipolar/

"This could have been a tremendous tragedy," White said.

I never said that I couldn't explain it. Just not in such a way that I think that you would understand. You say that you're glad that you're not 25 anymore. I'm glad that I haven't been brainwashed for so many years that I've lost the ability to think freely.

Its more in depth than simply firing at those trying to take your land. If you don't understand that then I don't know how to explain it to you

Who said anything about bluffing? Even though the "victim" pulling out his own weapon is usually enough to end the confrontation, that doesn't mean that its a bluff.

So you attacked him with what you had available, which showed him that you were willing to fight. Also I'm sure that you'd agree that a child screaming for help will get quicker results than an adult screaming for help.

As far as me, I've been in a few confrontation and haven't had to use deadly force. That doesn't mean I won't some day though. You seem to think that being willing to = want to.

She went beyond just grieving and showing her displeasure. Being outside the US, I wonder if you saw the full story about her. People have the right to assemble and protest if they chose to.

Obviously not as many people as you seem to think feel so strongly agaisnt the war.

Three in five Americans (61%) think US forces should get out of Iraq within a year, including 24 percent who favor immediate withdrawal and 37 percent who prefer a one year timetable. Another 32 percent of Americans say the forces should stay until security improves.

http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/articles/international_security_bt/394.php?lb=btis&pnt=394&nid=&id=&gclid=CNWdwpbCmZwCFQoMDQodMErydg

Every person will only put up with so much. If someone's property is being taken by the government by force and the person fires at the government officials, they'll probably think twice the next time around.

Once targetted for a crime talking is going to do very little, it'll probably just piss off the criminal

As far as how you think someone should try to get out of being a crime victim it doesn't always work.

I don't know what you're planning on doing to get help. A criminal isn't going to let you just call the police on your cell or run to go get somebody.Running away isn't always an option and you shouldn't have to

Your 2nd point I already addressed, and the women you used as an example didn't go about thing the right way.

Crime Statistics > Murders with firearms (most recent) by country

VIEW DATA: Totals Per capita
Definition Source Printable version

Showing latest available data. Rank Countries Amount
# 1 South Africa: 31,918
# 2 Colombia: 21,898
# 3 Thailand: 20,032
# 4 United States: 9,369
# 5 Philippines: 7,708
# 6 Mexico: 2,606
# 7 Slovakia: 2,356
# 8 El Salvador: 1,441
# 9 Zimbabwe: 598
# 10 Peru: 442
# 11 Germany: 269
# 12 Czech Republic: 181
# 13 Ukraine: 173
# 14 Canada: 144
# 15 Albania: 135
# 16 Costa Rica: 131
# 17 Azerbaijan: 120
# 18 Poland: 111
# 19 Uruguay: 109
# 20 Spain: 97
# 21 Portugal: 90
# 22 Croatia: 76
# 23 Switzerland: 68
# 24 Bulgaria: 63
# 25 Australia: 59
# 26 Sweden: 58
# 27 Bolivia: 52
# 28 Japan: 47
# 29 Slovenia: 39
= 30 Hungary: 38
= 30 Belarus: 38
# 32 Latvia: 28
# 33 Burma: 27
# 34 Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of: 26
# 35 Austria: 25
# 36 Estonia: 21
# 37 Moldova: 20
# 38 Lithuania: 16
= 39 United Kingdom: 14
= 39 Denmark: 14
# 41 Ireland: 12
# 42 New Zealand: 10
# 43 Chile: 9
# 44 Cyprus: 4
# 45 Morocco: 1
= 46 Iceland: 0
= 46 Luxembourg: 0
= 46 Oman:

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_mur_wit_fir-crime-murders-with-firearms

Crime Statistics > Gun violence > Homicides > Overall homicide rate > per 100,000 pop. (most recent) by country
VIEW DATA: Totals
Definition Source Printable version

Bar Graph Map


Showing latest available data. Rank Countries Amount
# 1 South Africa: 125.965
# 2 Colombia: 114.5083
# 3 Guatemala: 43.9737
# 4 Thailand: 41.4695
# 5 Paraguay: 19.3959
# 6 Mexico: 17.7735
# 7 Belarus: 13.44
# 8 Lithuania: 12.2598
# 9 Zimbabwe: 11.9841
# 10 Estonia: 11.9795
# 11 Latvia: 11.2985
# 12 Barbados: 10.4869
# 13 Ukraine: 9.2747
# 14 United States: 9.1
# 15 Moldova: 8.5941
# 16 Uruguay: 7.1321
# 17 Côte d'Ivoire: 6.1367
# 18 Poland: 6.0362
# 19 Bulgaria: 4.8366
# 20 Slovakia: 4.8132
# 21 Macedonia, Republic of: 3.5943
# 22 Portugal: 3.31
# 23 Azerbaijan: 3.0314
# 24 Hungary: 2.49
# 25 Slovenia: 2.4145
# 26 Czech Republic: 1.9517
# 27 Australia: 1.8802
# 28 Chile: 1.7237
# 29 Germany: 1.635
# 30 Spain: 1.4962
# 31 New Zealand: 1.3574
# 32 Singapore: 0.9457

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_gun_vio_hom_ove_hom_rat_per_100_pop-rate-per-100-000-pop

Getting rid of crime by banning guns will do about as much as getting rid of poverty by banning minimum wage jobs.

perhaps they're waiting for *us* to grow up .

It is quite amusing actually.

Thursday, November 4th, 2004 | Volume 94, Number 17

The case of a Toronto man accused of knowingly spreading HIV to a young woman
By Erika Richmond

Police arrested 28-year old Vincent Walkem at his workplace, a downtown Toronto clothing store, on August 30. Walkem, who is HIV-positive, has since been charged with aggravated assault and accused of engaging and attempting to engage in unprotected sexual intercourse with at least three women – without revealing his infection.

According to health records released to police, Walkem had known he was HIV-positive for almost three years. His name and photograph were released to the media in the hope that women who had sexual contact with him would come forward. So far, police have received several such reports.

A young woman who tested HIV-positive during her relationship with Walkem tipped off the police. That young woman is my best friend.

There is a widespread misconception among university students that the risk of HIV pertains to other, disenfranchised demographics. Not so. A 2001 study done by Health Canada shows that 44.5 per cent of new HIV cases in Canada involve young women aged 15 to 29. The stories of those who had alleged relationships with Walkem are exclusively from that demographic; my friend’s story is not as rare as it may seem.

A year and a half after her diagnosis, I felt, along with a need to understand how the law views cases like this, that it was time to share my friend’s story with other people our age, as a warning and perhaps an inspiration.

HIV/AIDS among the young a cause for concern?



HIV/AIDS is an phenomenon that is increasingly affecting women, particularly young women. They represent a growing proportion of positive HIV test reports. According to a fact-sheet put out by the AIDS Committee of Toronto, women accounted for about one in four of all HIV diagnoses in Canada from 2001 to 2003. In the years between 1985 and 1997, they accounted for only 12 per cent of HIV diagnoses.

Women also made up over 38 per cent of all positive HIV test reports among Canadians aged 15 to 29 in 2002. In the same year, heterosexual contact remained the main risk factor for HIV infection among women – accounting for 58.3 per cent of positive HIV test reports.

Women are an increasing proportion of Canadians living with AIDS, from 6.1 per cent before 1994 to 16.5 per cent in 2002.

HIV/AIDS is also an issue of concern for young people around the world and in Canada. According to the 2004 UNAIDS Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic, young people aged 15 to 24 account for half of all new HIV infections worldwide. An estimated 10 million young people are living with HIV/AIDS in the world today. In Canada, youth aged 15 to 29 accounted for just over a quarter of all positive HIV test reports from 1985 to 2003.

There are many possible explanations for the recent steps backward in the fight against HIV/AIDS. One is that Canadians are less wary about the risks of infection than in years past. It is an idea that seems to be disproved by a recent survey commissioned by the Public Health Agency of Canada. While nine of ten Canadians see themselves as having a low risk of contracting HIV/AIDS, higher risk groups – such as youth and those with multiple sexual partners – are conscious of their higher risk of infection. 59 per cent of youths under 25 years of age also believe that the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS is higher than it was ten years ago.

What may be a disconcerting result from the survey is the number of Canadians who do not engage in safer sex practices – almost half of respondents. Of those who do not practice safer sex, 87 per cent attributed the decision to the fact that they are in a monogamous relationship.

World AIDS day is on December 1 and will feature events at McGill.

—compiled by Rishi Hargovan, with files from the AIDS Committee of Toronto and the Public Health Agency of Canada


A typical story?

My friend, who asked not to be named, says she began a relationship with Walkem in the summer of 2002. Fresh out of high school, she stayed in Toronto to try her luck in the acting, dancing, and restaurant-waiting world. She was on her own for the first time, experiencing the thrill of a new school and the city without parents. She was also falling in love for the first time. In those first months, my friend seemed more content than she had ever been.

It was a painful awakening when Walkem’s co-worker told her to get tested for HIV. Neither of us wanted to believe she could be at risk. To be safe, she went to get tested. A family friend who is very active in the HIV non-profit community went with her to get the devastating results. At 19, she was HIV-positive.

The news confounded everyone who knew her. The relationship between my friend and Walkem ended with the news that they were both HIV-positive. This past summer, a chance encounter between my friend and Walkem’s new girlfriend led them to contact the police.

When police gained access to his public health records, they determined Walkem had tested HIV-positive and had been informed of his status a year before he met my friend. Police immediately charged Walkem with aggravated assault.

The criminalization question

In order to understand what kind of protection the law offers people like my friend, I spoke with the University of British Columbia’s Dean of Law, Mary Anne Bobinski.

Bobinski told me that in the precedent-setting case of Crown vs. Cuerrier, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that people with HIV who fail to disclose their status before engaging in unprotected intercourse can be convicted of aggravated assault.

“The central question in the Cuerrier case was: Is it better to place the responsibility on individuals to protect themselves, or should criminal law be used?” said Bobinski. The judges in that case decided that there was a “significant risk of serious harm” and therefore the law should intervene.

The failure to disclose was characterised as fraud, and therefore consent for intercourse was deemed legally invalid. Furthermore, because the HIV virus causes bodily harm, the act was determined to be aggravated assault.

At the time of the Supreme Court’s ruling, there arose considerable controversy over what was seen as the criminalization of HIV.

“There has been debate about whether or not criminalization makes sense; some groups thought that it may discourage people from getting tested,” Bobinski said.

AIDS activists argued that criminalizing HIV infection would undermine HIV prevention and make people reluctant to get tested. Many feared high profile cases would also reinforce strong stigmas against people living with HIV by portraying them as criminals.

A 2002 paper from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS questioned the utility and wisdom of criminalization. “In (using criminal law for) deterring a person who knows he or she is HIV-positive from engaging in risky behaviours without disclosure, policy-makers must consider the impact that such prosecutions may have on people’s willingness to get tested in the first place...a key element of effective HIV prevention strategies,” the paper states.

The UN report suggests that public health laws, including those compelling people with HIV to disclose their status to partners, ordering them not to have sex, or forcing medical treatment, are strong enough measures to combat acts like those alleged in Walkem’s case. Such legislation could be backed up with fines, but the report maintains that HIV transmission should not be criminalized.

After Crown v. Cuerrier, public health offices all over Canada began to warn their patients of the potential criminal charges for non-disclosure. Public health counsels all patients living with HIV on their “responsibilities” to stop the spread of the disease. Public health also engages in “contact tracing” or partner notification. The public health official will ask the patient to contact people with whom they have had sex or shared intravenous drugs. If the patient is reluctant, the official is obliged to do so.

In a September 1 interview with the Toronto Star, the Director of Public Health for the city of Toronto, Rita Shahin, said: “Most people who are infected behave responsibly.”

However, there are at least ten previous Canadian cases of people with HIV knowingly withholding information or misinforming their partners in order to have unprotected sex.

The Supreme Court of Canada chose criminal prosecution as a means to deter possible public health offenders, punish those who knowingly spread HIV, and protect innocent people from infection.

Because of my first-hand knowledge, I have been convinced that public health counselling alone does not always effectively encourage disclosure.

The Toronto Star recently interviewed another former girlfriend of Walkem’s. Jessica Whitbread told them she had just parted ways with Walkem, in December 2001, when he told her that he was HIV-positive. She too went through the ordeal of testing positive for HIV.

Seven months later, Walkem met my friend for the first time.

The new face of HIV/AIDS

Today, my friend attends university and gives AIDS awareness talks and workshops to youth. She wants to get the message out to young women that they are at risk of HIV infection. Contrary to popular belief, my friend, and Whitbread as well, are emblematic of the new face of HIV/AIDS. Young women are the fastest growing HIV risk group, but perceptions are slow to change.

“Forget stereotypes,” my friend said. “I was in a trusting, monogamous relationship. HIV can happen to anyone.”

Even with AIDS in the news almost daily, recent studies have shown that people under 24 are the most ignorant of the risks of HIV. “People talk about condom fatigue and people are tired of those messages,” said Shahin. The perception that “miracle” drugs have turned HIV into a chronic disease also may reinforce the misconception that HIV is not as dangerous as it once was.

Walkem now awaits trial for his alleged crime in the strict custody of his family. Whitbread recently participated in the Toronto AIDS walk, with 87 of her closest supporters and friends.

For my friend, the news of her infection helped her decide to get her studies started. She is now a full-time modern dance student. Touched by a horrendous betrayal and living through the fear of illness, her courage, drive, and passion are an inspiration to all those who know her. “It really put life into perspective for me,” she told me. “While at first I felt sorry for myself, it has actually made me incredibly motivated.”

http://www.mcgilldaily.com/view.php?aid=3126

When police gained access to his public health records, they determined Walkem had tested HIV-positive and had been informed of his status a year before he met my friend. Police immediately charged Walkem with aggravated assault.

Klamm faces one count of felony stalking and a hate crime enhancement for allegedly harassing his neighbor.

What branch of service were you in and your duty station?

I'm sure a lot of people, and particularly women, feel nervous around guns. But I think it's fair to say that fades away pretty fast as you get more familiar with them.

he is wanted for the Embassy bombings and was in fact charged. As for 911, we do know that as head of Al Qaeda, he was responsible for that attack.

Offences
Categories of Offences: CRIMES AGAINST LIFE AND HEALTH, CRIMES INVOLVING THE USE OF WEAPONS/EXPLOSIVES, TERRORISM, TERRORISM CONSPIRACY
Arrest Warrant Issued by: MADRID (COURT NR 5) / Spain, SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK, NEW YORK / United States, TRIPOLI / Libya

UN information indicates that: 'Saudi citizenship withdrawn, now officially an Afghan national'.
Other POB: Yemen.

UN Sanctions
Pursuant to Security Council Resolution 1267 (1999) and successor resolutions, including resolution 1822 (2008), the Subject is under the following UN Sanctions: Freezing of Assets, Travel Ban and Arms Embargo. The Subject has the following permanent reference number on the list maintained by the UN Security Council Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee (1267 Committee) which appears in the Special Notice for this subject: QI.B.8.01.

WANTED by Interpol
IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION CONTACT

YOUR NATIONAL OR LOCAL POLICE

ICPO-INTERPOL General Secretariat, (Command & Coordination Center, Tel: +33 472 44 76 76 - Email : ccc@interpol.int
http://www.interpol.int/Public/Data/Wanted/Notices/Data/1998/32/1998_20232.asp

What if it was your kids? Would you still say that if its their time, then so be it, and not fight for their lives?

Still waiting for those options from you marita b.

By Reuters Russia, Iran, Nuclear

Russia plans to start up a nuclear reactor at Iran's Bushehr plant by the end of the year, the head of Russia's state nuclear corporation said on Thursday.

The move is likely to stoke fears over Iran's suspected intention to build atomic weapons. Iran insists that its nuclear program is for purely civilian purposes.

Israel has expressed concern about the Bushehr plant and said last year that Iran could have a nuclear bomb by 2010.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1061938.html

Not sure what any of it has to do with the fact that valuable information was attained due to the Enhanced Interrogation Methods and the water boarding of the three terrorists but it was a rant worth looking into.

Should the Holocaust Museum be notified?