Cabinet ministers loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr quit the government Monday, severing the powerful Shiite religious leader from the U.S.-backed prime minister and raising fears al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia might again confront American troops.
The U.S. military reported the deaths of seven more American service members: three soldiers and two Marines on Monday and two soldiers on Saturday.
In the northern city of Mosul, a university dean, a professor, a policeman's son and 13 soldiers died in attacks bearing the signs of al-Qaida in Iraq. Nationwide, at least 51 people were killed or found dead.
The political drama in Baghdad was not likely to bring down Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government, but it highlighted growing demands among Iraqi politicians and voters that a timetable be set for a U.S. troop withdrawal - the reason al-Sadr gave for the resignations.
The departure of the six ministers also was likely to feed the public perception that al-Maliki is dependent on U.S. support, a position he spent months trying to avoid. Late last year he went so far as to openly defy directives from Washington about legislative and political deadlines.
Elsewhere in the city, gunmen killed Jaafar Hasan Sadiq, a professor at the University of Mosul's college of arts, as he was driving to work around 8:30 a.m. Five hours later, Talal Younis al-Jalili, dean of the university's college of political science, was slain as he drove home. Shortly after nightfall, gunmen killed the 17-year-old son of a Mosul policeman.
The brazen nature and the targets of the attacks are similar to previous assaults that blamed on al-Qaida in Iraq fighters, who are trying to break Iraqi military resolve and discourage secular activities such as university education.
In Basra, in the deep south of Iraq, about 3,000 protesters angry over inadequate city services marched peacefully through the streets of Iraq's second largest city to demand that the provincial governor resign.
The demonstrators gathered near the Basra mosque, then marched a few hundred yards to Gov. Mohammed al-Waili's office, which was surrounded by Iraqi soldiers and police officers. The protest ended a few hours later.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Gunman kills 32, commits suicide in Va.
A gunman massacred 32 people at Virginia Tech in the deadliest shooting rampage in modern U.S. history Monday, cutting down his victims in two attacks two hours apart before the university could grasp what was happening and warn students.
The bloodbath ended with the gunman committing suicide, bringing the death toll to 33 and stamping the campus in the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains with unspeakable tragedy, perhaps forever.
Investigators gave no motive for the attack. The gunman's name was not immediately released, and it was not known if he was a student. But he was also faced with difficult questions about the university's handling of the emergency and whether it did enough to warn students and protect them after the first burst of gunfire. Some students bitterly complained they got no warning from the university until an e-mail that arrived more than two hours after the first shots rang out.
Wielding two handguns and carrying multiple clips of ammunition, the killer opened fire about 7:15 a.m. on the fourth floor of West Ambler Johnston, a high-rise coed dormitory, then stormed Norris Hall, a classroom building a half-mile away on the other side of the 2,600-acre campus. Some of the doors at Norris Hall were found chained from the inside, apparently by the gunman.
Two people died in a dorm room, and 31 others were killed in Norris Hall, including the gunman, who put a bullet in his head. At least 15 people were hurt, some seriously.
At an evening news conference, Police Chief Wendell Flinchum refused to dismiss the possibility that a co-conspirator or second shooter was involved. He said police had interviewed a "person of interest" in the dorm shooting who knew one of the victims, but he declined to give details.
The bloodbath ended with the gunman committing suicide, bringing the death toll to 33 and stamping the campus in the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains with unspeakable tragedy, perhaps forever.
Investigators gave no motive for the attack. The gunman's name was not immediately released, and it was not known if he was a student. But he was also faced with difficult questions about the university's handling of the emergency and whether it did enough to warn students and protect them after the first burst of gunfire. Some students bitterly complained they got no warning from the university until an e-mail that arrived more than two hours after the first shots rang out.
Wielding two handguns and carrying multiple clips of ammunition, the killer opened fire about 7:15 a.m. on the fourth floor of West Ambler Johnston, a high-rise coed dormitory, then stormed Norris Hall, a classroom building a half-mile away on the other side of the 2,600-acre campus. Some of the doors at Norris Hall were found chained from the inside, apparently by the gunman.
Two people died in a dorm room, and 31 others were killed in Norris Hall, including the gunman, who put a bullet in his head. At least 15 people were hurt, some seriously.
At an evening news conference, Police Chief Wendell Flinchum refused to dismiss the possibility that a co-conspirator or second shooter was involved. He said police had interviewed a "person of interest" in the dorm shooting who knew one of the victims, but he declined to give details.
Democrats outraise Republicans in Florida
Democratic presidential candidates raised nearly 40 percent more than their Republican counterparts in Florida in the first three months of the year, tracking national figures that suggest GOP donors are less enthusiastic about their prospects.
Democrats raised about $4 million, with nearly half of that coming from fundraising leader Hillary Clinton, while Republicans collected about $2.9 million.
The top GOP fundraiser was Mitt Romney, the little-known former governor of Massachusetts whose aggressive approach has yet to pay off in poll numbers.
The fundraising reports, which were due to the Federal Elections Commission Sunday, are considered major barometers of a campaign's viability.
Nationwide, Florida came in sixth in donations, following New York, California, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Texas.
Clinton raised about $1.9 million in Florida during the first three months of the year, more money than any other presidential candidate. Democrat Barack Obama came in second with a little over $1 million, followed closely by Republicans Romney and John McCain. Romney and McCain have been the most aggressive in publicizing endorsements from Florida elected officials, hiring staff and making public appearances.
Republican Rudy Giuliani, whose campaign trails from an organizational standpoint but leads in the polls, raised about $822,950. Democrat John Edwards was next with $503,120.
Despite his status as the only major Hispanic candidate in the race, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson trailed other lesser-known Democrats like Sens. Joe Biden of Delaware and Chris Dodd of Connecticut in Florida. Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, a strident immigrations critic, raised less than $9,000 in the state.
Democrats raised about $4 million, with nearly half of that coming from fundraising leader Hillary Clinton, while Republicans collected about $2.9 million.
The top GOP fundraiser was Mitt Romney, the little-known former governor of Massachusetts whose aggressive approach has yet to pay off in poll numbers.
The fundraising reports, which were due to the Federal Elections Commission Sunday, are considered major barometers of a campaign's viability.
Nationwide, Florida came in sixth in donations, following New York, California, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Texas.
Clinton raised about $1.9 million in Florida during the first three months of the year, more money than any other presidential candidate. Democrat Barack Obama came in second with a little over $1 million, followed closely by Republicans Romney and John McCain. Romney and McCain have been the most aggressive in publicizing endorsements from Florida elected officials, hiring staff and making public appearances.
Republican Rudy Giuliani, whose campaign trails from an organizational standpoint but leads in the polls, raised about $822,950. Democrat John Edwards was next with $503,120.
Despite his status as the only major Hispanic candidate in the race, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson trailed other lesser-known Democrats like Sens. Joe Biden of Delaware and Chris Dodd of Connecticut in Florida. Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, a strident immigrations critic, raised less than $9,000 in the state.
Lawmakers push for guardrails near canals
It's a familiar sight along South Florida roads: Every few months, a car is pulled from the water after careening off the road into a nearby canal.
And with hundreds of miles of canals and waterways winding their way along roads in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, two South Florida lawmakers want to do what they can to mandate more roadside guardrails in a tight budget year, with a proposal to require the barriers along major roadways in Miami-Dade.
The proposal, which passed unanimously through the Senate Transportation Committee on Monday, would mandate roadside barriers separating canals from Miami-Dade state-run roads such as Interstate 95 and the Palmetto Expressway.
If approved, the barriers would need to be installed by 2010. There already is $20 million available in the current five-year work program for guardrails in the Florida Department of Transportation budget.
The bill hasn't yet had a hearing in the House, where Rep. Yolly Roberson, a Miami Republican, is the sponsor.
A similar bill was approved last year by the Legislature but was vetoed by then-Gov. Jeb Bush.
In 2005, 89 Florida traffic fatalities occurred after vehicles hurtled into a nearby body of water, according to state figures.
The state already requires protective barriers anyplace where the edge of a canal is 60 feet or closer to the edge of a roadway.
Earlier this year, Florida's Turnpike officials announced plans to install 280 miles of barriers along the state toll road.
But the Senate proposal won't address local roads, where canals often run just a few yards from traffic. Two people drowned in Davie canals in the past six months alone. But local officials around South Florida have resisted guardrails for financial and aesthetic reasons.
Requiring the barriers statewide would have cost more than $100 million more in state money alone, which isn't available this year, Bullard said.
And with hundreds of miles of canals and waterways winding their way along roads in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, two South Florida lawmakers want to do what they can to mandate more roadside guardrails in a tight budget year, with a proposal to require the barriers along major roadways in Miami-Dade.
The proposal, which passed unanimously through the Senate Transportation Committee on Monday, would mandate roadside barriers separating canals from Miami-Dade state-run roads such as Interstate 95 and the Palmetto Expressway.
If approved, the barriers would need to be installed by 2010. There already is $20 million available in the current five-year work program for guardrails in the Florida Department of Transportation budget.
The bill hasn't yet had a hearing in the House, where Rep. Yolly Roberson, a Miami Republican, is the sponsor.
A similar bill was approved last year by the Legislature but was vetoed by then-Gov. Jeb Bush.
In 2005, 89 Florida traffic fatalities occurred after vehicles hurtled into a nearby body of water, according to state figures.
The state already requires protective barriers anyplace where the edge of a canal is 60 feet or closer to the edge of a roadway.
Earlier this year, Florida's Turnpike officials announced plans to install 280 miles of barriers along the state toll road.
But the Senate proposal won't address local roads, where canals often run just a few yards from traffic. Two people drowned in Davie canals in the past six months alone. But local officials around South Florida have resisted guardrails for financial and aesthetic reasons.
Requiring the barriers statewide would have cost more than $100 million more in state money alone, which isn't available this year, Bullard said.
Father says son was tortured in Pakistan
The father of a Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, detainee has written to a military panel that his son, as well as young children, were abused in a Pakistani prison by U.S. or proxy interrogators on the hunt for al Qaeda leaders.
Ali Khan, who lives in Baltimore, made the claim in an affidavit released by the Center for Constitutional Rights on Monday -- and sent to the remote U.S. naval base as part of his son Majid's status hearing on whether he is an ``enemy combatant.''
Majid Khan, 26, arrived at Guantánamo in September 2006 among 14 ''high value'' captives who had been held at CIA black sites -- more than three years after he and a brother were seized in Karachi, Pakistan.Majid's brother, Mohammed, who was released and is now in Karachi, told his father about the treatment, the affidavit said.
Held incommunicado by the United States, Majid is a Baltimore-area high school graduate whom the White House alleges was part of an unrealized plot to attack U.S. gas stations.
While the brothers were in jail, according to the affidavit, Majid described to Mohammed the detention of boys ages 6 and 8, saying they were tortured to squeeze the location of terrorism suspects from them.
The sons of alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed and others were separated from other prisoners, ''denied food and water'' and, at one point, ''mentally tortured by having ants or other creatures put on their legs to scare them and get them to say where their father was hiding,'' the affidavit said.
The Pentagon has yet to release a transcript of Majid Khan's hearing.
Ali Khan, who lives in Baltimore, made the claim in an affidavit released by the Center for Constitutional Rights on Monday -- and sent to the remote U.S. naval base as part of his son Majid's status hearing on whether he is an ``enemy combatant.''
Majid Khan, 26, arrived at Guantánamo in September 2006 among 14 ''high value'' captives who had been held at CIA black sites -- more than three years after he and a brother were seized in Karachi, Pakistan.Majid's brother, Mohammed, who was released and is now in Karachi, told his father about the treatment, the affidavit said.
Held incommunicado by the United States, Majid is a Baltimore-area high school graduate whom the White House alleges was part of an unrealized plot to attack U.S. gas stations.
While the brothers were in jail, according to the affidavit, Majid described to Mohammed the detention of boys ages 6 and 8, saying they were tortured to squeeze the location of terrorism suspects from them.
The sons of alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed and others were separated from other prisoners, ''denied food and water'' and, at one point, ''mentally tortured by having ants or other creatures put on their legs to scare them and get them to say where their father was hiding,'' the affidavit said.
The Pentagon has yet to release a transcript of Majid Khan's hearing.
Jurors quizzed in terrorism trial
Miami federal judge presiding over the nation's biggest terror trial warned prosecutors to be cautious about making any references to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks during jury selection, which began Monday.
Then U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke peppered prospective jurors with questions about whether they had ever heard of the lead defendant, Jose Padilla, or any of his other names.
If Monday was any indication, selecting a dozen jurors and six alternates from a pool of roughly 300 could take several weeks because the judge and legal teams will be slowly grilling the candidates about their ability to be fair.
The trial itself is likely to take at least three months. Padilla, a 36-year-old former Fort Lauderdale area resident; Sunrise computer programmer Adham Amin Hassoun, 45; and Detroit school administrator Kifah Wael Jayyousi, 44, are charged with conspiring to assist Islamic extremists overseas. If convicted, they each face life in prison.Padilla was first accused in 2002 of plotting on behalf of al Qaeda to carry out a radiological ''dirty bomb'' attack on U.S. soil and to blow up apartment buildings in major U.S. cities. But Padilla, a U.S. citizen, was never charged with those crimes as a designated ''enemy combatant'' in military custody from 2002 to 2005.
That designation was dropped in November 2005, when he was charged in the broadly framed terrorism indictment in Miami. Missing from the charges: the dirty-bomb allegations. The banker was eventually struck from the jury pool because of a potential hardship: His bank is going through a major merger this summer.
Another Miami executive, who was familiar with the case and whose sister was married to a Muslim man, also was excused because his family's business is being sold.
Of the 17 jury candidates questioned on Monday, eight were struck and nine were kept in the pool for now. Cooke asked those retained to return on May 1 for final selection.
Cooke ruled that prosecutors can refer to the Sept. 11 terror attacks in a limited way but cannot suggest that Padilla and the others were involved in that conspiracy.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John Shipley said that while the three defendants are accused of supporting al Qaeda, ``we're not going to try them for their specific involvement in 9/11.''
Then U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke peppered prospective jurors with questions about whether they had ever heard of the lead defendant, Jose Padilla, or any of his other names.
If Monday was any indication, selecting a dozen jurors and six alternates from a pool of roughly 300 could take several weeks because the judge and legal teams will be slowly grilling the candidates about their ability to be fair.
The trial itself is likely to take at least three months. Padilla, a 36-year-old former Fort Lauderdale area resident; Sunrise computer programmer Adham Amin Hassoun, 45; and Detroit school administrator Kifah Wael Jayyousi, 44, are charged with conspiring to assist Islamic extremists overseas. If convicted, they each face life in prison.Padilla was first accused in 2002 of plotting on behalf of al Qaeda to carry out a radiological ''dirty bomb'' attack on U.S. soil and to blow up apartment buildings in major U.S. cities. But Padilla, a U.S. citizen, was never charged with those crimes as a designated ''enemy combatant'' in military custody from 2002 to 2005.
That designation was dropped in November 2005, when he was charged in the broadly framed terrorism indictment in Miami. Missing from the charges: the dirty-bomb allegations. The banker was eventually struck from the jury pool because of a potential hardship: His bank is going through a major merger this summer.
Another Miami executive, who was familiar with the case and whose sister was married to a Muslim man, also was excused because his family's business is being sold.
Of the 17 jury candidates questioned on Monday, eight were struck and nine were kept in the pool for now. Cooke asked those retained to return on May 1 for final selection.
Cooke ruled that prosecutors can refer to the Sept. 11 terror attacks in a limited way but cannot suggest that Padilla and the others were involved in that conspiracy.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John Shipley said that while the three defendants are accused of supporting al Qaeda, ``we're not going to try them for their specific involvement in 9/11.''
Saturday, April 14, 2007
FBI targets child care agency
Broward foster children often rode in potentially unsafe cars and vans because an auto repair shop paid kickbacks to an employee of the county's child welfare agency to avoid making repairs.
And dozens of the foster care agency's employees stole donated toys intended for foster kids last Christmas.
These are among the allegations in a March 30 report by two private investigators hired to look into irregularities at ChildNet, one of 20 privately run child welfare agencies across Florida. The state Department of Children and Families will pay ChildNet $65 million this budget year to supervise 1,043 children in state care in Broward.
Troubles at ChildNet mounted Friday as federal agents swarmed the agency's Fort Lauderdale offices, state administrators threatened to cancel the agency's current contract, and board members voted to fire the group's founding president.
Ousted Friday afternoon was Peter Balitsaris, a longtime South Florida child advocate who helped create ChildNet about five years ago. The lone board member who fought Balitsaris' firing, Virginia Miller, resigned.
But a five-page summary of ChildNet's own investigation -- performed partly by a former Drug Enforcement Administration agent turned private eye -- included a host of startling allegations and findings. Among them:
• Two men in charge of facilities management and security at ChildNet, Steven Williams, 47, of Fort Lauderdale and Brady Grant, 35, of Coral Springs, were convicted felons with lengthy criminal histories. Williams' convictions included burglary in 1988 and battery in 1992, both in Tampa, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Grant was sentenced to prison in 1995 for manslaughter and again in 2001 on a cocaine conviction, according to the Florida Department of Corrections.
• ''Vehicles used to transport children are possibly unsafe,'' the report said, because the auto repair shop hired to fix them instead paid kickbacks to Williams to ignore the needed repairs.
• Cars and vans used to cart children ''may not be repaired properly, or at all.'' Moss, DCF's top administrator in South Florida, said the vehicles since have been inspected to ensure they're safe.
• ChildNet had no inventory system for ''high-value items'' like computers and furniture.
And dozens of the foster care agency's employees stole donated toys intended for foster kids last Christmas.
These are among the allegations in a March 30 report by two private investigators hired to look into irregularities at ChildNet, one of 20 privately run child welfare agencies across Florida. The state Department of Children and Families will pay ChildNet $65 million this budget year to supervise 1,043 children in state care in Broward.
Troubles at ChildNet mounted Friday as federal agents swarmed the agency's Fort Lauderdale offices, state administrators threatened to cancel the agency's current contract, and board members voted to fire the group's founding president.
Ousted Friday afternoon was Peter Balitsaris, a longtime South Florida child advocate who helped create ChildNet about five years ago. The lone board member who fought Balitsaris' firing, Virginia Miller, resigned.
But a five-page summary of ChildNet's own investigation -- performed partly by a former Drug Enforcement Administration agent turned private eye -- included a host of startling allegations and findings. Among them:
• Two men in charge of facilities management and security at ChildNet, Steven Williams, 47, of Fort Lauderdale and Brady Grant, 35, of Coral Springs, were convicted felons with lengthy criminal histories. Williams' convictions included burglary in 1988 and battery in 1992, both in Tampa, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Grant was sentenced to prison in 1995 for manslaughter and again in 2001 on a cocaine conviction, according to the Florida Department of Corrections.
• ''Vehicles used to transport children are possibly unsafe,'' the report said, because the auto repair shop hired to fix them instead paid kickbacks to Williams to ignore the needed repairs.
• Cars and vans used to cart children ''may not be repaired properly, or at all.'' Moss, DCF's top administrator in South Florida, said the vehicles since have been inspected to ensure they're safe.
• ChildNet had no inventory system for ''high-value items'' like computers and furniture.
Fired transsexual won't sue Largo
A city manager fired after revealing his sex change plans announced Friday that he will not sue the city that fired him and he will begin living as a woman full-time by the end of May.
Steve Stanton, 48, also said during the taped segment on CNN's Larry King Live, that he will be living as Susan within the next 30 to 60 days. Stanton also said he and his wife will separate.
Stanton had previously said taking Largo to court would be like ''suing my mother,'' but the city of 76,000 west of Tampa had expected him to sue.
''I don't think that you go on Larry King to announce you're not going to sue the city,'' Largo City Attorney Alan Zimmet had said.
The National Center for Lesbian Rights said in a news release that Stanton has decided to focus on education and public advocacy on behalf of the transgender community instead of filing a lawsuit.
''It is tempting to seek retribution in the courts, but after much reflection and soul searching, I just cannot find it within my heart to sue Largo -- a city I have always and will always love. I do not want to punish the citizens of Largo,'' Stanton said in the statement.
The decision not to sue was a ''incredibly difficult,'' Stanton said, also calling the decision to fire him ``shocking and cruel, and clearly unlawful.''
He told Larry King that he had chosen the name Susan because his mother said that would have been his name had he been a girl. He also said he plans to have gender reassignment surgery but did not say when and that he would probably continue living in Florida.
The former Largo City Manager appeared on the segment with his lawyer, Karen Doering, of the National Center for Lesbian Rights.
After the City Commission voted to fire him in February and March, Stanton has been recruited to join a national fight for transsexual employment rights.
City commissioners said it was Stanton's judgment, not the revelation he was a transsexual, that prompted both 5-2 votes to fire him from the $140,000-a-year job he held for 14 years. Stanton was forced in February to reveal he was a transsexual and planned to begin living as a woman in preparation for a sex change operation.
Steve Stanton, 48, also said during the taped segment on CNN's Larry King Live, that he will be living as Susan within the next 30 to 60 days. Stanton also said he and his wife will separate.
Stanton had previously said taking Largo to court would be like ''suing my mother,'' but the city of 76,000 west of Tampa had expected him to sue.
''I don't think that you go on Larry King to announce you're not going to sue the city,'' Largo City Attorney Alan Zimmet had said.
The National Center for Lesbian Rights said in a news release that Stanton has decided to focus on education and public advocacy on behalf of the transgender community instead of filing a lawsuit.
''It is tempting to seek retribution in the courts, but after much reflection and soul searching, I just cannot find it within my heart to sue Largo -- a city I have always and will always love. I do not want to punish the citizens of Largo,'' Stanton said in the statement.
The decision not to sue was a ''incredibly difficult,'' Stanton said, also calling the decision to fire him ``shocking and cruel, and clearly unlawful.''
He told Larry King that he had chosen the name Susan because his mother said that would have been his name had he been a girl. He also said he plans to have gender reassignment surgery but did not say when and that he would probably continue living in Florida.
The former Largo City Manager appeared on the segment with his lawyer, Karen Doering, of the National Center for Lesbian Rights.
After the City Commission voted to fire him in February and March, Stanton has been recruited to join a national fight for transsexual employment rights.
City commissioners said it was Stanton's judgment, not the revelation he was a transsexual, that prompted both 5-2 votes to fire him from the $140,000-a-year job he held for 14 years. Stanton was forced in February to reveal he was a transsexual and planned to begin living as a woman in preparation for a sex change operation.
Deputy charged with sexual battery
A Hillsborough County sheriffs deputy was charged Friday with forcing a female hit-and-run suspect to perform a sex act on him, authorities said.
Deputy Raymond Choy, 35, was arrested after DNA evidence confirmed a sexual encounter had occurred, according to a news release from the sheriff's office. He has been placed on administrative leave.
Choy detained the woman April 1 after she was suspected of being involved in a hit-and-run crash, the sheriff's office said. While in handcuffs, the woman was transported to the scene of the crash where witnesses could not positively identify her, the release said.
The deputy then drove to a dead-end where he led the 26-year-old woman to believe he would not arrest her if she cooperated with him, the sheriffs office said. He then got in the back seat, took off her handcuffs and ordered her to perform oral sex on him, the news release said. He then drove the woman home.
The encounter was reported to the sheriffs office the next day.
Choy was charged with sexual battery. He was released from the Orient Road jail on $15,000 bond.
A telephone message left at Choy's home was not immediately returned. It was not known if he had an attorney.
Deputy Raymond Choy, 35, was arrested after DNA evidence confirmed a sexual encounter had occurred, according to a news release from the sheriff's office. He has been placed on administrative leave.
Choy detained the woman April 1 after she was suspected of being involved in a hit-and-run crash, the sheriff's office said. While in handcuffs, the woman was transported to the scene of the crash where witnesses could not positively identify her, the release said.
The deputy then drove to a dead-end where he led the 26-year-old woman to believe he would not arrest her if she cooperated with him, the sheriffs office said. He then got in the back seat, took off her handcuffs and ordered her to perform oral sex on him, the news release said. He then drove the woman home.
The encounter was reported to the sheriffs office the next day.
Choy was charged with sexual battery. He was released from the Orient Road jail on $15,000 bond.
A telephone message left at Choy's home was not immediately returned. It was not known if he had an attorney.
'Tiny Bubbles' singer Don Ho dies at 76
Legendary crooner Don Ho, who entertained tourists for decades wearing raspberry-tinted sunglasses and singing the catchy signature tune "Tiny Bubbles," has died. He was 76.
He died Saturday morning of heart failure.Ho entertained Hollywood's biggest stars and thousands of tourists for four decades. For many, no trip to Hawaii was complete without seeing his Waikiki show - a mix of songs, jokes, double entendres, Hawaii history and audience participation.
The son of bar owners, Ho broke into the Waikiki entertainment scene in the early 1960s and, except for short periods, never left. Few artists are more associated with one place. In high school, he was a star football player and worked for a brief time in a pineapple cannery. After graduating in 1949, he attended Springfield College in Massachusetts on an athletic scholarship. He grew homesick, returned to the islands and ended up graduating from the University of Hawaii in 1953 with a degree in sociology.
Honey's became a happening place on Oahu, with other Hawaiian musicians stopping in for jam sessions. Ho began to play at various spots in Hawaii, then had a breakout year in 1966, when appearances at the Coconut Grove in Hollywood helped him build a mainland following, and the release of "Tiny Bubbles" gave him his greatest recording success. In the final years of his life, Ho's heart problems couldn't keep him away from the stage. He was back performing at the Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel on a limited schedule less than two months after his heart procedure in Thailand. His final performance was Thursday, Jung said.
He died Saturday morning of heart failure.Ho entertained Hollywood's biggest stars and thousands of tourists for four decades. For many, no trip to Hawaii was complete without seeing his Waikiki show - a mix of songs, jokes, double entendres, Hawaii history and audience participation.
The son of bar owners, Ho broke into the Waikiki entertainment scene in the early 1960s and, except for short periods, never left. Few artists are more associated with one place. In high school, he was a star football player and worked for a brief time in a pineapple cannery. After graduating in 1949, he attended Springfield College in Massachusetts on an athletic scholarship. He grew homesick, returned to the islands and ended up graduating from the University of Hawaii in 1953 with a degree in sociology.
Honey's became a happening place on Oahu, with other Hawaiian musicians stopping in for jam sessions. Ho began to play at various spots in Hawaii, then had a breakout year in 1966, when appearances at the Coconut Grove in Hollywood helped him build a mainland following, and the release of "Tiny Bubbles" gave him his greatest recording success. In the final years of his life, Ho's heart problems couldn't keep him away from the stage. He was back performing at the Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel on a limited schedule less than two months after his heart procedure in Thailand. His final performance was Thursday, Jung said.
Bomb blast near Iraq shrine kills 37
Saturday near one of Shiite Islam's holiest shrines in Karbala, killing at least 37 people and wounding more than 150. At least 16 children were among the dead in the latest horrific assault away from the American-led security crackdown in Baghdad.
A suicide bomber also struck in Baghdad, blowing up his car on a major bridge and killing 10 in the second such attack in 48 hours.
The political wrangling underlined the continuing weakness of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government despite a more than 2-month-old U.S.-Iraqi military operation intended to pacify Baghdad and give his regime room to function.
The political wrangling underlined the continuing weakness of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government despite a more than 2-month-old U.S.-Iraqi military operation intended to pacify Baghdad and give his regime room to function.
The crackdown, which will land 30,000 additional American troops in Iraq by the end of next month, comes as opposition to the strategy grows in Washington and emerges as a central issue in the U.S. presidential campaign.
A possible presidential contender and one of the most vocal Republican critics of President Bush's Iraq policy, Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, was in Baghdad and planned to hold a news conference here Sunday. It was his fifth trip to the war zone.
A suicide bomber also struck in Baghdad, blowing up his car on a major bridge and killing 10 in the second such attack in 48 hours.
The political wrangling underlined the continuing weakness of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government despite a more than 2-month-old U.S.-Iraqi military operation intended to pacify Baghdad and give his regime room to function.
The political wrangling underlined the continuing weakness of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government despite a more than 2-month-old U.S.-Iraqi military operation intended to pacify Baghdad and give his regime room to function.
The crackdown, which will land 30,000 additional American troops in Iraq by the end of next month, comes as opposition to the strategy grows in Washington and emerges as a central issue in the U.S. presidential campaign.
A possible presidential contender and one of the most vocal Republican critics of President Bush's Iraq policy, Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, was in Baghdad and planned to hold a news conference here Sunday. It was his fifth trip to the war zone.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
PROPERTY TAXES
ONE TAX PLAN DOES NOT FIT ALL
As they debate the most dramatic changes to property-tax law in decades, Florida lawmakers are discovering a problem: Five years of boom-boom real estate sales did not produce identical results around the state.
In Apalachicola, a fourfold spike in property values threatens the seafood industry's workforce. In Jacksonville, frugal budget writers fear they will be punished by lawmakers despite their tight-fisted ways. And in Bradford County,money is so tight that when a dredging machine, which was taxed as property, moved to another county, it blew a hole in the Bradford budget.
With 67 counties spread across two time zones, Florida remains a patchwork of economies. And finding a single fair method of reducing taxes has been tricky at best.
The real estate boom arrived and left at different times in different areas of the state. Growth in Apalachicola's Franklin County, for example, surpassed that of all other counties, even those in urban areas.
But Bradford's boom was short-lived, beginning and ending in the past two years. Home prices and incomes remain low enough that residents are more concerned with affording a mortgage payment than affording a tax bill.
As they debate the most dramatic changes to property-tax law in decades, Florida lawmakers are discovering a problem: Five years of boom-boom real estate sales did not produce identical results around the state.
In Apalachicola, a fourfold spike in property values threatens the seafood industry's workforce. In Jacksonville, frugal budget writers fear they will be punished by lawmakers despite their tight-fisted ways. And in Bradford County,money is so tight that when a dredging machine, which was taxed as property, moved to another county, it blew a hole in the Bradford budget.
With 67 counties spread across two time zones, Florida remains a patchwork of economies. And finding a single fair method of reducing taxes has been tricky at best.
The real estate boom arrived and left at different times in different areas of the state. Growth in Apalachicola's Franklin County, for example, surpassed that of all other counties, even those in urban areas.
But Bradford's boom was short-lived, beginning and ending in the past two years. Home prices and incomes remain low enough that residents are more concerned with affording a mortgage payment than affording a tax bill.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Robert Frost
Robert Frost was born on the year of 1874 in San Francisco, California. Frost father William Frost, was a journalist and an ardent Democrat, died when Frost was about eleven years old. his mother Isabelle Moody, a scottish, was a schoolteacher and resume her career to support her family. The family lived in Lawerence, Massachuetts, with Frost's paternal grandfather William Prescott Frost. In 1892 Frost, graduated from a high school and attended Dartmouth College. In 1894 the New York Independent published Frost's poem "My Butterfly" and he had five poems privately printed. In 1895 he married a former schoolmate, Elnor White; they had six children.
Frost studied in Harvard from 1897 to 1899, but haven't receive his degree. When he sented his poems to The Atlantic Monthly he receive a notice which inform that he was denied. Frost owned a farm and on 1912 sold his farn and took his wife and four young children to England. there he published his first collection of poems, A Boys Will, at the age of 39. The poem colection that gained international reputation which was North Boston (1914). Poems written with blank verse or looser free verse of dialogue, were drawn from his own life.
While in England Frost was deeply influenced by such English poets as Rupert Brooke. After returning to the US in 1915 with his family, Frost bought a farm near Franconia, New Hampshire. When the editor of The Atlantic Monthly asked for poems, he gave the very ones that had previously been rejected.
In 1920 Frost purchased a farm in South Shaftsbury, Vermont, near Middlebury College where he cofounded the Bread Loaf School and Conference of English. His wife died in 1938 and he lost four of his children. Two of his daughters suffered mental breakdowns, and his son Carol, a frustrated poet and farmer, committed suicide. Frost also suffered from depression and the continual self-doubt led him to cling to the desire to be awarded the Nobel Prize for literature. After the death of his wife, Frost became strongly attracted to Kay Morrison, whom he employed as his secretary and adviser. Frost also composed for her one of his finest love poems, 'A Witness Tree.'
Among the honors and rewards Frost received were tributes from the U.S. Senate (1950), the American Academy of Poets (1953), New York University (1956), and the Huntington Hartford Foundation (1958), the Congressional Gold Medal (1962), the Edward MacDowell Medal (1962). In 1930 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Amherst College appointed him Saimpson Lecturer for Life (1949), and in 1958 he was made poetry consultant for the Library of Congress.
At the time of his death on January 29, 1963, Frost was considered a kind of unofficial poet laureate of the US. "I would have written of me on my stone: I had a lover's quarrel with the world," Frost once said. In his poems Frost depicted the fields and farms of his surroundings, observing the details of rural life, which hide universal meaning. His independent, elusive, half humorous view of the world produced such remarks as "I never take my side in a quarrel", or "I'm never serious except when I'm fooling." Although Frost's works were generally praised, the lack of seriousness concerning social and political problems of the 1930s annoyed some more socially orientated critics. Later biographers have created a complex and contradictory portrait of the poet
Our Singing Strength by Robert Frost
It snowed in spring on earth so dry and warm
The flakes could find no landing place to form.
Hordes spent themselves to make it wet and cold,
And still they failed of any lasting hold.
They made no white impression on the black.
They disappeared as if earth sent them back.
Not till from separate flakes they changed at night
To almost strips and tapes of ragged white
Did grass and garden ground confess it snowed,
And all go back to winter but the road.
Next day the scene was piled and puffed and dead.
The grass lay flattened under one great tread.
Borne down until the end almost took root,
The rangey bough anticipated fruit
With snowball cupped in every opening bud.
The road alone maintained itself in mud,
Whatever its secret was of greater heat
From inward fires or brush of passing feet.
http://www.famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/robert_frost/biography
Frost studied in Harvard from 1897 to 1899, but haven't receive his degree. When he sented his poems to The Atlantic Monthly he receive a notice which inform that he was denied. Frost owned a farm and on 1912 sold his farn and took his wife and four young children to England. there he published his first collection of poems, A Boys Will, at the age of 39. The poem colection that gained international reputation which was North Boston (1914). Poems written with blank verse or looser free verse of dialogue, were drawn from his own life.
While in England Frost was deeply influenced by such English poets as Rupert Brooke. After returning to the US in 1915 with his family, Frost bought a farm near Franconia, New Hampshire. When the editor of The Atlantic Monthly asked for poems, he gave the very ones that had previously been rejected.
In 1920 Frost purchased a farm in South Shaftsbury, Vermont, near Middlebury College where he cofounded the Bread Loaf School and Conference of English. His wife died in 1938 and he lost four of his children. Two of his daughters suffered mental breakdowns, and his son Carol, a frustrated poet and farmer, committed suicide. Frost also suffered from depression and the continual self-doubt led him to cling to the desire to be awarded the Nobel Prize for literature. After the death of his wife, Frost became strongly attracted to Kay Morrison, whom he employed as his secretary and adviser. Frost also composed for her one of his finest love poems, 'A Witness Tree.'
Among the honors and rewards Frost received were tributes from the U.S. Senate (1950), the American Academy of Poets (1953), New York University (1956), and the Huntington Hartford Foundation (1958), the Congressional Gold Medal (1962), the Edward MacDowell Medal (1962). In 1930 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Amherst College appointed him Saimpson Lecturer for Life (1949), and in 1958 he was made poetry consultant for the Library of Congress.
At the time of his death on January 29, 1963, Frost was considered a kind of unofficial poet laureate of the US. "I would have written of me on my stone: I had a lover's quarrel with the world," Frost once said. In his poems Frost depicted the fields and farms of his surroundings, observing the details of rural life, which hide universal meaning. His independent, elusive, half humorous view of the world produced such remarks as "I never take my side in a quarrel", or "I'm never serious except when I'm fooling." Although Frost's works were generally praised, the lack of seriousness concerning social and political problems of the 1930s annoyed some more socially orientated critics. Later biographers have created a complex and contradictory portrait of the poet
Our Singing Strength by Robert Frost
It snowed in spring on earth so dry and warm
The flakes could find no landing place to form.
Hordes spent themselves to make it wet and cold,
And still they failed of any lasting hold.
They made no white impression on the black.
They disappeared as if earth sent them back.
Not till from separate flakes they changed at night
To almost strips and tapes of ragged white
Did grass and garden ground confess it snowed,
And all go back to winter but the road.
Next day the scene was piled and puffed and dead.
The grass lay flattened under one great tread.
Borne down until the end almost took root,
The rangey bough anticipated fruit
With snowball cupped in every opening bud.
The road alone maintained itself in mud,
Whatever its secret was of greater heat
From inward fires or brush of passing feet.
http://www.famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/robert_frost/biography
Saturday, March 10, 2007
STD (Sexual Transmitted Disease)
There are many diseases known to human kind. Most disease that is being spread around is known as STD (sexual Tramsmitted Disease). The statistic in our youth now and days are really high . Some of the diease is being past around are treatable, but there are some some that's not. Here are some kown:
Chancroid is a bacterial infection that results in sores on the mouth, throat, lips, anus, tongue, vagina, or penis.
How is it contracted? You can get chancroid sores or spread them through skin-to-skin contact with open sores, from hands that have touched a sore, or from sex toys such as a vibrator or dildo that have touched a sore.
Incubation Period: 12 hours to 5 days
Symptoms:Painful open sores on the genitals, and, in some cases, swollen and tender lymph nodes in the groin. Women may be less likely to get the sores; instead, their symptoms may include painful urination or defecation, painful intercourse, rectal bleeding, or vaginal discharge.
Testing: Chancroid lesions can look like syphilis or genital herpes, so a doctor needs to analyze the discharge from the sores to get an accurate diagnosis.
Treatment: Antibiotics are usually effective - Zithromax 1.0 gm (250mg x 4 tablets) or Cipro 500 mg twice a day for 3 days or Cipro XR 500 mg once a day for 3 days.
If you are not treated: The sores that remain from an untreated chancroid infection may put you at risk for other STDs, as well as other types of infections.
Crabs are tiny insects that live off human blood. Although they're often found around the genitals, they can live in any part of the body with hair.
How is it contracted? Through sexual transmission, skin-to-skin contact, or in clothing, bedding, or on a toilet seat harboring the insects.
Incubation Period: As long as a week if it's the first time you've had pubic lice; as little as a day if this is a recurrence.
Symptoms: Itching in the genital area or any other part of the body with hair.
Testing: Pubic lice are very small, whitish-gray parasites that look like crabs. You'll be able to see the insects or their eggs (which are pearl-colored and oval-shaped) in your hair. You may notice that the skin under your hair is red and scaly, or there may be small blue spots -- signs of lice bites. If you're unsure whether or not you have lice, see your doctor.
Treatment: Over-the-counter lotions that contain the chemical permethrin such as Rid and Nix will get rid of the lice. (Talk to your doctor before using any product that contains the chemical lindane, which can be toxic, especially for unborn children.) After washing with the lotion, use a fine-toothed comb to comb out the crabs and their eggs (called nits). Your sexual partner(s) must be treated as well, and all clothing or bedding that may be infested must be washed in very hot water or dry-cleaned. In some cases, clothing, towels, or bedding may need to be washed a few times before they're completely lice-free.
If you are not treated: If you don't seek treatment you're likely to pass pubic lice on to any sexual partners, or anyone else you're in close contact with.
There are five types of hepatitis -- A through E -- all of which cause inflammation of the liver. Type D affects only those who also have hepatitis B, and hepatitis E is extremely rare in the United States.
How is it contracted?
Type A hepatitis is contracted through anal-oral contact, by coming in contact with the feces of someone with hepatitis A, or by eating or drinking hepatitis A contaminated food or water.
Type B hepatitis can be contracted from infected blood, seminal fluid, vaginal secretions, or contaminated drug needles, including tattoo or body-piercing equipment. It can also be spread from a mother to her newborn.
Type C hepatitis is not easily spread through sex. You're more likely to get it through contact with infected blood, contaminated razors, needles, tattoo and body-piercing equipment, or manicure or pedicure tools that haven't been properly sanitized, and a mother can pass it to her baby during delivery.
Type D hepatitis can be passed through contact with infected blood, contaminated needles, or by sexual contact with an HIV-infected person.
Type E hepatitis is most likely to be transmitted in feces, through oral contact, or in water that's been contaminated.
Herpes are two types of a viral infection characterized by periodic outbreaks of painful sores. Stress, sunburn, and certain foods are the primary causes of a herpes outbreak.
How is it contracted? Both herpes simplex virus-1 and virus-2 may be transmitted through sex, or by kissing or touching any affected area. A condom can prevent herpes transmission during vaginal or anal sex, but oral contact with genitals or open sores anywhere can spread the disease. Washing hands can also minimize transmission.
Incubation Period: Anywhere from five to twenty days
Symptoms: Herpes simplex virus-1 usually shows up as cold sores or blisters. For those who have herpes simplex virus-2, some have no symptoms, while others may show signs of an infection from five to twenty days after having sex with an infected partner. Early symptoms can include a burning sensation in the genitals, low back pain, pain when urinating, and flu-like symptoms. A short while later, small red bumps may appear around the genitals or on the mouth; later these bumps become painful blisters which then crust over, form a scab, and heal.
HIV is the acronym for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, a virus that attacks the body's immune system, leading to full-blown AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome). AIDS is devastating because it leaves the body susceptible to life-threatening infections and certain kinds of cancers.
How is it contracted? Through oral, anal, or vaginal sex, and from an HIV-positive mother to her baby. To prevent it, use a condom every time you have sex; find out the sexual history of any new partners, including their HIV status; and don't share needles if you do intravenous drugs. If you're pregnant and are HIV-positive, talk to your doctor about how to prevent passing the virus along to your child.
Incubation Period: Some people develop symptoms shortly after being infected, but for many it takes more than ten years for symptoms to appear.
Symptoms: Most symptoms of AIDS are not caused directly by HIV, but by an infection or other condition brought on by a weakened immune system. These include severe weight loss, fever, headache, night sweats, fatigue, severe diarrhea, shortness of breath, and difficulty swallowing. The symptoms tend to last for weeks or months at a time and do not go away without treatment. In some cases, infections result in death.
Syphilis is a bacterial infection caused by an organism called a spirochete.
How is it contracted? Through oral, anal, or vaginal sex, or via intimate touching or kissing. Mothers can pass it to their babies by touching syphilis sores (chancres) and then touching the baby.
Incubation Period: One week to three months
Symptoms: During the first stage of a syphilis infection, painless sores or open ulcers may appear on the anus, vagina, penis, or inside the mouth, and occasionally on other parts of the body. During the second stage (roughly three weeks to three months after the first symptoms appear), an infected person may experience flu-like symptoms and possibly hair loss or a rash on the soles and palms -- and in some cases all over the body. There are also latent phases of syphilis infection during which symptoms are absent.
Testing: Diagnosis of syphilis is done through a blood test and/or examination of secretions from chancres.
Treatment: Antibiotics -Benzathine penicillin G 2.4 mU intramuscular injection or Doxycycline 100 mg by mouth 2-3 times a days for 14 days.
If you are not treated: Untreated syphilis can lead to serious damage to the brain and the nervous system; mental deterioration; a loss of balance, vision, and sensation; leg pain; and heart disease. A fetus is at particular risk if the mother doesn't seek treatment; the chances for stillbirth and serious birth defects, including blindness, are very high.
Vaginal Yeast Infection are a naturally occurring fungus called Candida albicans (C. albicans) usually causes this type of vaginitis. An estimated three out of four women will have a yeast infection in their lifetime.
How is it contracted? Yeast infections occur when certain internal or external factors change the normal environment of your vagina and trigger an overgrowth of a microscopic fungus — the most common being a fungus called Candida albicans (C. albicans). Besides causing most vaginal yeast infections, C. albicans also causes infections in other moist areas of your body, such as your mouth (thrush), skin folds and fingernail beds. The fungi can also cause diaper rash.
Factors that increase your risk of yeast infections include:
Medications such as antibiotics and steroids
Uncontrolled diabetes
Hormonal changes, such as those associated with pregnancy and birth control pills
Bubble baths, vaginal contraceptives, damp or tightfitting clothing and feminine hygiene products such as sprays and deodorants don't cause yeast infections, but they may increase your susceptibility to infection.
Incubation Period: Anywhere from 12 hours to five days
Symptoms: The main symptom is itching, but you may have a white, thick discharge that resembles cottage cheese.
Testing: Your doctor may take a sample of a cervical or vaginal discharge for laboratory analysis.
Treatment: Antibiotics - Diflucan 150 mg one single dose .
If you are not treated: Generally, vaginal yeast infections don't cause serious complications. If it is not treated the itch may persist.
Yeast in Men Yeast organisms are a common cause of infection of the tip of the penis, a condition called balanitis.
How is it contracted? Almost from anywhere; nevertheless, one is more likely to get balanitis if you:
Are uncircumcised
Have diabetes
Incubation Period: Anywhere from 12 hours to five days
Symptoms: Itching or burning of the tip of the penis or the foreskin. A red rash on the affected areas
Testing: Physical examination of the red rash in the affected area.
Treatment: If you're uncircumcised, you can help prevent balanitis by practicing good hygiene. Each day, gently pull back (retract) the foreskin on your penis and clean the skin with soap and water. Then dry the skin carefully. You may also apply an antifungal cream periodically to prevent recurrence.
Treatment of balanitis includes:
Cleaning under the foreskin of the penis
Applying antifungal creams at least twice a day
Recurrent balanitis: Diflucan 150 mg one single dose
Chlamydia is a bacterial infection caused by pathogen (germ) Chlamydia is one of the most commons STD's- and because more than 50% who have chlamydia have no symptoms at all- chlamydia infection usually goes untreated.
How is it contracted mainly passed through sexual actively
Vaginal or anal sex with an infected partner
Oral sex, although this less common
Sharing sex toys
Can not catch it from simple kissing, sharing baths, towels, cups, or from toilet seat
Incubation Period 7-21 days
Symptoms women an unusal vaginal discharge, pain of a burning sensation when passing urine, bleeding between periods, and low abdominal pain a sometimewith nausea
Men white/cloudy, watery discharge from the yip of the penis, pain or a burning sensation when pasying urine, and testicular pain or swelling
Testing of chlamydia - A urine and a swab test collecting fluid from the penis or vagina
Treatment with antinotics, either a single dose or a course lasting up to two weeks
Untreated Women can cause birth effectss Men painful inflammation of the testicles
Actually there are more sexual transmitted diease known ou there but these are the basic watch ids modtly amongs now.
http:std-gov.org/stds/std.htm
Chancroid is a bacterial infection that results in sores on the mouth, throat, lips, anus, tongue, vagina, or penis.
How is it contracted? You can get chancroid sores or spread them through skin-to-skin contact with open sores, from hands that have touched a sore, or from sex toys such as a vibrator or dildo that have touched a sore.
Incubation Period: 12 hours to 5 days
Symptoms:Painful open sores on the genitals, and, in some cases, swollen and tender lymph nodes in the groin. Women may be less likely to get the sores; instead, their symptoms may include painful urination or defecation, painful intercourse, rectal bleeding, or vaginal discharge.
Testing: Chancroid lesions can look like syphilis or genital herpes, so a doctor needs to analyze the discharge from the sores to get an accurate diagnosis.
Treatment: Antibiotics are usually effective - Zithromax 1.0 gm (250mg x 4 tablets) or Cipro 500 mg twice a day for 3 days or Cipro XR 500 mg once a day for 3 days.
If you are not treated: The sores that remain from an untreated chancroid infection may put you at risk for other STDs, as well as other types of infections.
Crabs are tiny insects that live off human blood. Although they're often found around the genitals, they can live in any part of the body with hair.
How is it contracted? Through sexual transmission, skin-to-skin contact, or in clothing, bedding, or on a toilet seat harboring the insects.
Incubation Period: As long as a week if it's the first time you've had pubic lice; as little as a day if this is a recurrence.
Symptoms: Itching in the genital area or any other part of the body with hair.
Testing: Pubic lice are very small, whitish-gray parasites that look like crabs. You'll be able to see the insects or their eggs (which are pearl-colored and oval-shaped) in your hair. You may notice that the skin under your hair is red and scaly, or there may be small blue spots -- signs of lice bites. If you're unsure whether or not you have lice, see your doctor.
Treatment: Over-the-counter lotions that contain the chemical permethrin such as Rid and Nix will get rid of the lice. (Talk to your doctor before using any product that contains the chemical lindane, which can be toxic, especially for unborn children.) After washing with the lotion, use a fine-toothed comb to comb out the crabs and their eggs (called nits). Your sexual partner(s) must be treated as well, and all clothing or bedding that may be infested must be washed in very hot water or dry-cleaned. In some cases, clothing, towels, or bedding may need to be washed a few times before they're completely lice-free.
If you are not treated: If you don't seek treatment you're likely to pass pubic lice on to any sexual partners, or anyone else you're in close contact with.
There are five types of hepatitis -- A through E -- all of which cause inflammation of the liver. Type D affects only those who also have hepatitis B, and hepatitis E is extremely rare in the United States.
How is it contracted?
Type A hepatitis is contracted through anal-oral contact, by coming in contact with the feces of someone with hepatitis A, or by eating or drinking hepatitis A contaminated food or water.
Type B hepatitis can be contracted from infected blood, seminal fluid, vaginal secretions, or contaminated drug needles, including tattoo or body-piercing equipment. It can also be spread from a mother to her newborn.
Type C hepatitis is not easily spread through sex. You're more likely to get it through contact with infected blood, contaminated razors, needles, tattoo and body-piercing equipment, or manicure or pedicure tools that haven't been properly sanitized, and a mother can pass it to her baby during delivery.
Type D hepatitis can be passed through contact with infected blood, contaminated needles, or by sexual contact with an HIV-infected person.
Type E hepatitis is most likely to be transmitted in feces, through oral contact, or in water that's been contaminated.
Herpes are two types of a viral infection characterized by periodic outbreaks of painful sores. Stress, sunburn, and certain foods are the primary causes of a herpes outbreak.
How is it contracted? Both herpes simplex virus-1 and virus-2 may be transmitted through sex, or by kissing or touching any affected area. A condom can prevent herpes transmission during vaginal or anal sex, but oral contact with genitals or open sores anywhere can spread the disease. Washing hands can also minimize transmission.
Incubation Period: Anywhere from five to twenty days
Symptoms: Herpes simplex virus-1 usually shows up as cold sores or blisters. For those who have herpes simplex virus-2, some have no symptoms, while others may show signs of an infection from five to twenty days after having sex with an infected partner. Early symptoms can include a burning sensation in the genitals, low back pain, pain when urinating, and flu-like symptoms. A short while later, small red bumps may appear around the genitals or on the mouth; later these bumps become painful blisters which then crust over, form a scab, and heal.
HIV is the acronym for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, a virus that attacks the body's immune system, leading to full-blown AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome). AIDS is devastating because it leaves the body susceptible to life-threatening infections and certain kinds of cancers.
How is it contracted? Through oral, anal, or vaginal sex, and from an HIV-positive mother to her baby. To prevent it, use a condom every time you have sex; find out the sexual history of any new partners, including their HIV status; and don't share needles if you do intravenous drugs. If you're pregnant and are HIV-positive, talk to your doctor about how to prevent passing the virus along to your child.
Incubation Period: Some people develop symptoms shortly after being infected, but for many it takes more than ten years for symptoms to appear.
Symptoms: Most symptoms of AIDS are not caused directly by HIV, but by an infection or other condition brought on by a weakened immune system. These include severe weight loss, fever, headache, night sweats, fatigue, severe diarrhea, shortness of breath, and difficulty swallowing. The symptoms tend to last for weeks or months at a time and do not go away without treatment. In some cases, infections result in death.
Syphilis is a bacterial infection caused by an organism called a spirochete.
How is it contracted? Through oral, anal, or vaginal sex, or via intimate touching or kissing. Mothers can pass it to their babies by touching syphilis sores (chancres) and then touching the baby.
Incubation Period: One week to three months
Symptoms: During the first stage of a syphilis infection, painless sores or open ulcers may appear on the anus, vagina, penis, or inside the mouth, and occasionally on other parts of the body. During the second stage (roughly three weeks to three months after the first symptoms appear), an infected person may experience flu-like symptoms and possibly hair loss or a rash on the soles and palms -- and in some cases all over the body. There are also latent phases of syphilis infection during which symptoms are absent.
Testing: Diagnosis of syphilis is done through a blood test and/or examination of secretions from chancres.
Treatment: Antibiotics -Benzathine penicillin G 2.4 mU intramuscular injection or Doxycycline 100 mg by mouth 2-3 times a days for 14 days.
If you are not treated: Untreated syphilis can lead to serious damage to the brain and the nervous system; mental deterioration; a loss of balance, vision, and sensation; leg pain; and heart disease. A fetus is at particular risk if the mother doesn't seek treatment; the chances for stillbirth and serious birth defects, including blindness, are very high.
Vaginal Yeast Infection are a naturally occurring fungus called Candida albicans (C. albicans) usually causes this type of vaginitis. An estimated three out of four women will have a yeast infection in their lifetime.
How is it contracted? Yeast infections occur when certain internal or external factors change the normal environment of your vagina and trigger an overgrowth of a microscopic fungus — the most common being a fungus called Candida albicans (C. albicans). Besides causing most vaginal yeast infections, C. albicans also causes infections in other moist areas of your body, such as your mouth (thrush), skin folds and fingernail beds. The fungi can also cause diaper rash.
Factors that increase your risk of yeast infections include:
Medications such as antibiotics and steroids
Uncontrolled diabetes
Hormonal changes, such as those associated with pregnancy and birth control pills
Bubble baths, vaginal contraceptives, damp or tightfitting clothing and feminine hygiene products such as sprays and deodorants don't cause yeast infections, but they may increase your susceptibility to infection.
Incubation Period: Anywhere from 12 hours to five days
Symptoms: The main symptom is itching, but you may have a white, thick discharge that resembles cottage cheese.
Testing: Your doctor may take a sample of a cervical or vaginal discharge for laboratory analysis.
Treatment: Antibiotics - Diflucan 150 mg one single dose .
If you are not treated: Generally, vaginal yeast infections don't cause serious complications. If it is not treated the itch may persist.
Yeast in Men Yeast organisms are a common cause of infection of the tip of the penis, a condition called balanitis.
How is it contracted? Almost from anywhere; nevertheless, one is more likely to get balanitis if you:
Are uncircumcised
Have diabetes
Incubation Period: Anywhere from 12 hours to five days
Symptoms: Itching or burning of the tip of the penis or the foreskin. A red rash on the affected areas
Testing: Physical examination of the red rash in the affected area.
Treatment: If you're uncircumcised, you can help prevent balanitis by practicing good hygiene. Each day, gently pull back (retract) the foreskin on your penis and clean the skin with soap and water. Then dry the skin carefully. You may also apply an antifungal cream periodically to prevent recurrence.
Treatment of balanitis includes:
Cleaning under the foreskin of the penis
Applying antifungal creams at least twice a day
Recurrent balanitis: Diflucan 150 mg one single dose
Chlamydia is a bacterial infection caused by pathogen (germ) Chlamydia is one of the most commons STD's- and because more than 50% who have chlamydia have no symptoms at all- chlamydia infection usually goes untreated.
How is it contracted mainly passed through sexual actively
Vaginal or anal sex with an infected partner
Oral sex, although this less common
Sharing sex toys
Can not catch it from simple kissing, sharing baths, towels, cups, or from toilet seat
Incubation Period 7-21 days
Symptoms women an unusal vaginal discharge, pain of a burning sensation when passing urine, bleeding between periods, and low abdominal pain a sometimewith nausea
Men white/cloudy, watery discharge from the yip of the penis, pain or a burning sensation when pasying urine, and testicular pain or swelling
Testing of chlamydia - A urine and a swab test collecting fluid from the penis or vagina
Treatment with antinotics, either a single dose or a course lasting up to two weeks
Untreated Women can cause birth effectss Men painful inflammation of the testicles
Actually there are more sexual transmitted diease known ou there but these are the basic watch ids modtly amongs now.
http:std-gov.org/stds/std.htm
Human Rights
1) We are all born free & equal- No matter where we go wew all should be treated the same and we own our ownselves.
2) Don't discriminate- Don't judge by race, sex, or religion
2) The right to life- Existence in the physical world.
4) No slavery- Person who own themselves; freedom
5) No torture- No punishment, no more suffering on purpose
6) You have the right no matter where you go- Allowed to live where want to
7) We all equal in human law- Having same right, ability, and opportunities as another.
8) Human right are protected by law- protected by rules that tell people what they must or must not do.
9) No unfair detainment- no illegal detain (keep from going)
10) The right to trial- right of act hearing a case in a law court to decide whether a claim or charge is true.
11) We're all innocent until proven guilty- Innocent not blame until proven you done the crime
12) The right to privacy- being free from being observed or disturbed by other people
13) Freedom to move- free to go where you when to move
14) The right to seek a safe place to live- allowed to find safety
15) Right to nationailty- allowed to have and be different race
16) Marriage and family- Married any one and have a family
17) The right to your own thing- allowed to have own property
18) Freedom of thoughts- Think whatever you please
19) Freedom of expression- Allowed to express your thoughts
20) Right to public assembly- Allowed to join a public assembly
21) The rigt to democracy- right for people hold ruling power
2) Don't discriminate- Don't judge by race, sex, or religion
2) The right to life- Existence in the physical world.
4) No slavery- Person who own themselves; freedom
5) No torture- No punishment, no more suffering on purpose
6) You have the right no matter where you go- Allowed to live where want to
7) We all equal in human law- Having same right, ability, and opportunities as another.
8) Human right are protected by law- protected by rules that tell people what they must or must not do.
9) No unfair detainment- no illegal detain (keep from going)
10) The right to trial- right of act hearing a case in a law court to decide whether a claim or charge is true.
11) We're all innocent until proven guilty- Innocent not blame until proven you done the crime
12) The right to privacy- being free from being observed or disturbed by other people
13) Freedom to move- free to go where you when to move
14) The right to seek a safe place to live- allowed to find safety
15) Right to nationailty- allowed to have and be different race
16) Marriage and family- Married any one and have a family
17) The right to your own thing- allowed to have own property
18) Freedom of thoughts- Think whatever you please
19) Freedom of expression- Allowed to express your thoughts
20) Right to public assembly- Allowed to join a public assembly
21) The rigt to democracy- right for people hold ruling power
22) Social security- Governmental system that provides benefits to retired persons, the unemployed, and the disabled
23) Workers' right- Pay for time work
24) The right to play- Allowed to have fun
25) Food and shelter for all- allowed to have a home if not home a shelter and food
26) The rights to education- allowed to go to school no matter who you are
27) Copyrights- No boot leg copy anything illegal
28) A fair and free world- According to what is right not a slave
29) Responsibilty- Position of being accountable to somebody or for something
30) No one can take your human rights- No matter who you are these are your rights
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
The Ghetto and the Riches
Once upon a time not to far from Aventura live a beast name Jimmy Macklin, actually he was a ordinary man with a heart of a beast. No one dare speak to him or befriend him. When he enter a room darkness follows. He has no friends or family but the servants who work at his home. Jimmy had a happy childhood until his parents got shot during a driveby. So as he grew up he realize the world don't care for him. As time past he grew powerful and cold hearted each day.
On the other side of town called Little Haiti live a young lady name Jennifer Byron. She live with her father in a duplex with one bedroom. Her father struggle to take care Jennifer and himself with his minimim wage job working at Mackiln's Firm. At her age and her neighborhood Jennifer was surround of peer pressure, drugs, sex, and fast money. Whenever she step out all eye on her if they're not being rolled, they're gaug at her. Life was not easy growing up but she attend not to let it bring her down.
One day her father was out to work in his 1989 toyato, but as he drove away Jennifer realize he forgot his lunch. She set out to bring to it him, hop on the metro bus toward his job. As the bus head that way her mind was focus on her father health, lately he been sick . When the bus reach its destination she got off to take the food up. While searching for the storage room she heard a loud commotion as she got closer the louder it got. Saw it was a man dress in a Armani suit looking like the finest thing God ever created. The closer she got she realize the man was shouting at her father.
"You done a poor job cleaning these few days" Jimmy yelled.
"I'm sorry I haven't been focus on work, I been sick" he replied.
"You know what. you're fired"
As she heard that she scream out "NO"
All attention was on Jennifer, she kept talking "my father been sick he's trying his best."
Jimmy just stared at the gorgeous woman in front of him lost of words.
And finally he spoke "And who are you?"
"Jennifer Byron daughter of Tony Byron" she continued. "you can fired him he been sick."
"Well that 's his business" Jimmy retorted coldly. " he's fired, go be sick some place else"
Jennifer stayed there and beg for her father. While begging an idea pop in her head "Why don't I work for him until he feel better?"
Her father yelled out "NO"
But she ignore him and kept talking "I'll take his place until he feel better.'
As jimmy thought about it and ask "are you sure?"
"Yes sir"
Jennifer told her father everythings is going to be all right and told him to go home and rest.
Mr. Macklin give her somethings and set her off to work.
As time past everyday she come to work and cleaned the building. She actually didn't mind working for him. Everyday Jimmy found something that needed to be cleaned in his office and everyday she'll learn something new about him. Being with him each day she noticed he was a kind man who been thru a lot. And jimmy was feeling Jennifer a lot.
So one day he surprise her and ask to take out to News Cafe in South Beach, she agreed. He informed he'll pick her up from her house at 09:00 the next night.
Well driving thru Little Haiti in his 2008 black on black Beamer with black chrome rims all eye was on him. Everybody was staring him down if not with envy, with jealousy.
As she step out of her house all he could do was stare mouth open. He got out of the car to open the passenger side. One of the neighbor boys whisper "Damn how he pulled her, you know how I long I been trying."
When they reach at News Cafe eye were on them once more and more whispers. That night they dance and drink, they had great time.
As time past all the employee notice changes in their boss attitude. Rumors was going around that he's in love with somebody but not sure with who. Jennifer and Jimmy continue seeing each other couples of months later he propose to her.
It was told that Jennifer Byron love set Jimmy Macklin free he no longer walk around with a heart of a beast.
On the other side of town called Little Haiti live a young lady name Jennifer Byron. She live with her father in a duplex with one bedroom. Her father struggle to take care Jennifer and himself with his minimim wage job working at Mackiln's Firm. At her age and her neighborhood Jennifer was surround of peer pressure, drugs, sex, and fast money. Whenever she step out all eye on her if they're not being rolled, they're gaug at her. Life was not easy growing up but she attend not to let it bring her down.
One day her father was out to work in his 1989 toyato, but as he drove away Jennifer realize he forgot his lunch. She set out to bring to it him, hop on the metro bus toward his job. As the bus head that way her mind was focus on her father health, lately he been sick . When the bus reach its destination she got off to take the food up. While searching for the storage room she heard a loud commotion as she got closer the louder it got. Saw it was a man dress in a Armani suit looking like the finest thing God ever created. The closer she got she realize the man was shouting at her father.
"You done a poor job cleaning these few days" Jimmy yelled.
"I'm sorry I haven't been focus on work, I been sick" he replied.
"You know what. you're fired"
As she heard that she scream out "NO"
All attention was on Jennifer, she kept talking "my father been sick he's trying his best."
Jimmy just stared at the gorgeous woman in front of him lost of words.
And finally he spoke "And who are you?"
"Jennifer Byron daughter of Tony Byron" she continued. "you can fired him he been sick."
"Well that 's his business" Jimmy retorted coldly. " he's fired, go be sick some place else"
Jennifer stayed there and beg for her father. While begging an idea pop in her head "Why don't I work for him until he feel better?"
Her father yelled out "NO"
But she ignore him and kept talking "I'll take his place until he feel better.'
As jimmy thought about it and ask "are you sure?"
"Yes sir"
Jennifer told her father everythings is going to be all right and told him to go home and rest.
Mr. Macklin give her somethings and set her off to work.
As time past everyday she come to work and cleaned the building. She actually didn't mind working for him. Everyday Jimmy found something that needed to be cleaned in his office and everyday she'll learn something new about him. Being with him each day she noticed he was a kind man who been thru a lot. And jimmy was feeling Jennifer a lot.
So one day he surprise her and ask to take out to News Cafe in South Beach, she agreed. He informed he'll pick her up from her house at 09:00 the next night.
Well driving thru Little Haiti in his 2008 black on black Beamer with black chrome rims all eye was on him. Everybody was staring him down if not with envy, with jealousy.
As she step out of her house all he could do was stare mouth open. He got out of the car to open the passenger side. One of the neighbor boys whisper "Damn how he pulled her, you know how I long I been trying."
When they reach at News Cafe eye were on them once more and more whispers. That night they dance and drink, they had great time.
As time past all the employee notice changes in their boss attitude. Rumors was going around that he's in love with somebody but not sure with who. Jennifer and Jimmy continue seeing each other couples of months later he propose to her.
It was told that Jennifer Byron love set Jimmy Macklin free he no longer walk around with a heart of a beast.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Reading Definition
Main Idea: The central or most important, idea in a paragraph or passage. It may also be described as the controlling idea, and, as such, it set the direction of the paragraph or article.
Supporting Details: Facts and secondary ideas that an author uses to develop and support and main idea
Context Clues: includes the sentence, paragraph, or passage that surround a word and make it meaningful.
Author's Purpose: The reason or intant in writing
Author's Overall Organizational Pattern: Authors try to present their ideas in some clearly organized way. They do this by arranging the supporting details in some common pattern.
Facts and Opinion: A fact is a statement that can be validated or proven to be true or false by using measurements, historical or scientific documents, or even personal observation. By this definition, a fact is not always accurates or correct.
An opinion is a statement that expresses an author's beliefs, judgements, and values. It expressed a point of view and cannot be proven.
Bias: Is a predispostion, prejudice, or prejudgment; bias may be in favor of or against something or someone.
Tone: An author's toneis the attitude or feeling he creates in writnig about his subject, the reader can recognize a mood or feeling in written material in the same way as he would recognize a mood or feeling from a speaker's tone of voice.
Relationship Within Sentences: Sentences comprehension may involve recognizing the relationship between parts of a sentence.
If the relationship within the sentence is explicit (stated), transition words and phrased will be used.
If the relationship within the sentence is implicit (unstated), the reader must infer the relationship.
This skill is related to identifying the author's overall organizational pattern. Some of the same patterns and transitions learned in recognizing organizational patterns will be useful in recognizing relationship within sentences.
Some types of relationships, along with transitions that help identify them, are:
Addition- again, also, and, besides, further, furthermore in addition, moreover
Clarification- as a matter of fact, clearly, evidently, in fact, in other worda obviously, of course.
Relationship Between Sentences: Paragraph and passage comprehension is improved by recognizing how one sentence relates to another sentence; such relationship may be explicit (stated) or implicit (unstated)
The same signal words and transitions are used as are found in working with relationship withinn sentences.
Valid Arguments: An argument involves reasons or evidence to support a conclusion or statement.
Inference and Conclusion: an inference is what a reader think the writer is suggesting through the words or ideas presented.
Supporting Details: Facts and secondary ideas that an author uses to develop and support and main idea
Context Clues: includes the sentence, paragraph, or passage that surround a word and make it meaningful.
Author's Purpose: The reason or intant in writing
Author's Overall Organizational Pattern: Authors try to present their ideas in some clearly organized way. They do this by arranging the supporting details in some common pattern.
Facts and Opinion: A fact is a statement that can be validated or proven to be true or false by using measurements, historical or scientific documents, or even personal observation. By this definition, a fact is not always accurates or correct.
An opinion is a statement that expresses an author's beliefs, judgements, and values. It expressed a point of view and cannot be proven.
Bias: Is a predispostion, prejudice, or prejudgment; bias may be in favor of or against something or someone.
Tone: An author's toneis the attitude or feeling he creates in writnig about his subject, the reader can recognize a mood or feeling in written material in the same way as he would recognize a mood or feeling from a speaker's tone of voice.
Relationship Within Sentences: Sentences comprehension may involve recognizing the relationship between parts of a sentence.
If the relationship within the sentence is explicit (stated), transition words and phrased will be used.
If the relationship within the sentence is implicit (unstated), the reader must infer the relationship.
This skill is related to identifying the author's overall organizational pattern. Some of the same patterns and transitions learned in recognizing organizational patterns will be useful in recognizing relationship within sentences.
Some types of relationships, along with transitions that help identify them, are:
Addition- again, also, and, besides, further, furthermore in addition, moreover
Clarification- as a matter of fact, clearly, evidently, in fact, in other worda obviously, of course.
Relationship Between Sentences: Paragraph and passage comprehension is improved by recognizing how one sentence relates to another sentence; such relationship may be explicit (stated) or implicit (unstated)
The same signal words and transitions are used as are found in working with relationship withinn sentences.
Valid Arguments: An argument involves reasons or evidence to support a conclusion or statement.
Inference and Conclusion: an inference is what a reader think the writer is suggesting through the words or ideas presented.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
My Life Story
Hi, my name is Antonine Garcon, born in Miami, FL in Jackson Memorial Hospital. I am haitian, American cuban, I'm a mutt. My mother was born in in America but raise in Haiti. And as for my father he's haitian cuban. As for sibling I have five sisters and had three brothers but two past away. Being the youngest of all my siblings played a big role in my life. My life was not an easy one growning up there were a lot of ups and down. The way my mind is function right now is the only way not to drive me crazy. There been alot of past experiences that made me who I am today.
I still remember the first day I entered elementary school I was terrified. I didn't know anybody in my class. But as time past it couldn't been better I enjoyed every single day of it. Until the end of the school came up I found out I was getting tranfered to another school. I didn't want to move but I sure enough didn't have a say so about it. So when the new school year came around it felt like it was my first day in school all over again. And again I adjust but i found out my mother had plan to tranfer me again. So and again we moved to another house and school. And every school I been to I end up fighting somebody for some reason. To be honest I remember all the school I been to in counting it been seven elementay schools.
The only time I stayed in one school for long was junior high also known as middle school. That's where I met all my friends, Westview middle school was a whole different experince for me. My favorite subject there was math. In middle school my world was revolve around my friends and math. If I'm not with a friend I'm with a math teacher asking a question. Everything was actually going perfect no drama, stress free. three years past real quick when you having fun, our final year came.
Next thing I knew I was going to start high school. I attend Miami Central Senior High. My best year out there was my freshman year I guess thats when the school grade average didn't go down yet. The following years everything change some say it didn't it was just me. In my junior year i planned to join some clubs or sports but all the good sports was filled with girls with drama. So the only sport left was soccer. I played for most of the season unti I had to quick due to my job. When I became a senior I had OJT so I had to find a sport that don't take most of my time so I joined bowling. And before I knew it graduation came up.
So now i'm here in miami dade college trying to get my two years. To be honest when attending high school college never cross my mind. But in life to go far you need a higher education. so now I'm hear trying to make better of myself. I need an education that will bring me far in my major. So by coming here I'm hoping I'll find that.
I still remember the first day I entered elementary school I was terrified. I didn't know anybody in my class. But as time past it couldn't been better I enjoyed every single day of it. Until the end of the school came up I found out I was getting tranfered to another school. I didn't want to move but I sure enough didn't have a say so about it. So when the new school year came around it felt like it was my first day in school all over again. And again I adjust but i found out my mother had plan to tranfer me again. So and again we moved to another house and school. And every school I been to I end up fighting somebody for some reason. To be honest I remember all the school I been to in counting it been seven elementay schools.
The only time I stayed in one school for long was junior high also known as middle school. That's where I met all my friends, Westview middle school was a whole different experince for me. My favorite subject there was math. In middle school my world was revolve around my friends and math. If I'm not with a friend I'm with a math teacher asking a question. Everything was actually going perfect no drama, stress free. three years past real quick when you having fun, our final year came.
Next thing I knew I was going to start high school. I attend Miami Central Senior High. My best year out there was my freshman year I guess thats when the school grade average didn't go down yet. The following years everything change some say it didn't it was just me. In my junior year i planned to join some clubs or sports but all the good sports was filled with girls with drama. So the only sport left was soccer. I played for most of the season unti I had to quick due to my job. When I became a senior I had OJT so I had to find a sport that don't take most of my time so I joined bowling. And before I knew it graduation came up.
So now i'm here in miami dade college trying to get my two years. To be honest when attending high school college never cross my mind. But in life to go far you need a higher education. so now I'm hear trying to make better of myself. I need an education that will bring me far in my major. So by coming here I'm hoping I'll find that.
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