Don't forget the header. Click it.
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Jose and Carlos are beggars. They beg in different areas of town.
Carlos begs for the same amount of money as Jose, but only collects about eight or nine dollars a day.
Jose brings home a suitcase full of ten dollar bills every day, he drives a Mercedes, lives in a mortgage-free house, and has a lot of money to spend.
"Hey, amigo," Carlos says to Jose, "I work just as long and hard as you do, so how come you bring home a suitcase full of ten dollarbills every day?"
Jose says, "Look at your sign, what does it say?"
Carlos' sign reads; 'I have no work, a wife and six kids to support.' "What's wrong with that?" Carlos asks him.
"No wonder you only get eight or nine dollars a day!"Carlos says,
"Alright, what does your sign say?"
It reads, says Carlos, "I only need another ten dollars to get back to Mexico."
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Woman accused of stealing 500 lbs. of gold
An employee of a New York jeweler stole 513 pounds of gold from the firm over five years, taking one small piece at a time hidden in her purse, police allege.
Authorities said Wednesday that Teresa Tambunting, 50, of Scarsdale, N.Y., a longtime employee of Jacmel Jewelry, brought a suitcase filled with 66 pounds of gold worth an estimated $868,000 back into the company's office after an investigation was launched in January, The New York Times reported. Authorities allegedly found another 447 pounds of stolen gold at the vault manager's home in February, the newspaper said.
"With gold trading at nearly $900 an ounce, the defendant is accused of establishing a virtual mining operation in Long Island City which siphoned off millions of dollars' worth of the precious metal from her employer," District Attorney Richard A. Brown said in the statement.
"It is alleged that this once-trusted employee carried out her long-term scheme by concealing jewelry and raw gold in the lining of her pocketbook.
"She was released on $100,000 bail after being arraigned in Queens Criminal Court Tuesday on charges of grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property. She is expected to enter a plea May 19.
Tambunting, who had worked at the store for 28 years, faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
Does that make her a gold digger?
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News from the locam front here in Albuquerque. Our city attorney, who has been accused of being soft on illegal aliens, has this written about her:
District Attorney Kari Brandenburg says the number of meth labs has more than doubled between 2007 and 2008 due to
Mexican drug cartels.
Law enforcement officials say the Mexican government is cracking down on meth labs in its country, forcing cartels to find other places, like New Mexico, to make the product.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano increased protection in New Mexico by adding two border enforcement security task forces at the state's Mexican border.
Do you suppose they'll really do something about it?
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Connecticut is made as hell and won't take it anymore:
Connecticut Town Considers Low-Pants Ban
Low Baggy Pants Could Cost You Big Bucks In Fines
(CBS/AP) STRATFORD, Conn. Something that's considered fashionable could be fineable if a Stratford councilman has his way.
Councilman Alvin O'Neal is proposing a ban on baggy pants that are worn too low with a hefty fine for those caught with their pants down.
O'Neal said he is responding to complaints from senior citizens around town who notice young people wearing their baggy pants as low as possible, revealing their backsides.
The councilman has proposed a town ordinance that would make it unlawful for people to wear "pants which fall below the buttocks to expose their undergarments," with a penalty of $250. The council has set a hearing on the proposed law for Monday night at Town Hall.
"I've had a lot of senior citizens complain that they were tired of going to the store and seeing people with their pants down below their buttocks," O'Neal said Friday.
He says the target of the new law is very specific, young people who wear trousers as low as possible without them falling down completely.
"We're not out to get plumbers whose pants creep down while they're working on your pipes," O'Neal said. Any proposed ordinance would have to pass muster with the town attorney.
"We intend to review it before the Town Council votes on it," Town Attorney Richard Buturla said. "Actually, a similar ordinance is being looked at in Atlanta."
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When we rebuild a war torn city, we do it right
SEOUL (AFP) - More and more South Korean schoolchildren are searching the Internet to find someone to do their homework for a fee, a report said Monday.
A portal lists more than 500 websites devoted to homework with fees to pupils ranging from 8,000-10,000 won (eight dollars 50 cents to 11 dollars), The Korea Times said.
"I need to write three English diaries by the end of the week," a 12-year said in a message posted on one site. "I don't really want to write them. Who can write for me and how much do I have to pay?"
There are also websites offering already-completed homework with individual material downloadable for 500 won, the paper said. Others offer children a chance to share projects.
Experts worry that such sites could send students the wrong message, that they can buy whatever they want, the paper said.
See? They can so follow our lead.
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Mexican sniffer dog dognapped
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A top police sniffer dog working for an elite Mexican drug squad was stolen during an airport transfer by thieves who left a mixed-breed puppy in its place, the attorney general's office said.
Rex IV, a highly trained Belgian Malinois sheepdog with a string of drug hauls behind him, was checked on to a flight from Mexico City this week with seven other police dogs bound for an operation in the northern state of Sinaloa.
But when the dogs arrived at Mazatlan airport, Sinaloa, their police handlers discovered a small black mongrel puppy inside Rex IV's cage, with the sniffer dog nowhere to be seen.
"In 17 years I've never seen anything like this. It's rather delicate," a Public Security Ministry spokesman told Reuters on Sunday, adding that the worry was the dog could help smugglers find new ways to conceal drugs.
"It's like kidnapping an intelligence agent," he said.
An airline employee told investigators a man posing as a police officer appeared at the counter and asked to switch the puppy for Rex IV because the Malinois was unwell.
Rex IV is part of an elite Special Canine Unit set up in 2001 as part of Mexico's battle against cartels that smuggle South American cocaine and other drugs to the United States.
President Felipe Calderon launched a new war on drug gangs when he took power in December, sending thousands of police and soldiers to northern and western states where turf wars between rival drug cartels leave dozens dead each week.
A message calling the Federales curs?
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Interesting video under the header. No further comment.
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The other day, Wild Thing and I had finished lunch and, as is our wont, we surfed through the television news channels to see what was happening in our world and our country.
We do this quite often and it usually gives us a kick off point for discussions. And it certainly did that. We watched as Americans bemoaned the loss of their jobs and asked what they could do about it? One of them, a woman in her late fifties had been employed at a job which paid her more than $60,000 a year. She had worked for the company for 30 some years and had no really marketable skills in the depression market. Another, a man who seemed to be 30 something, who had lost his job at an automobile dealership. He had been making about $14 an hour. He had no degree to help him. Not even one from high school. His life was beginning to look pretty bleak.
There were a number of other similar instances shown. Too many to recount here.
Then we switched to another channel. The news readers were discussing the closing of automobile dealerships, using the case of a dealer who owed no one anything for the cars he was selling, was successful enough to buy the stock he needed and was making a profit. He had inherited the business from his father and had been running it for years. But he was being forced out of business because the American car manufacturer would no longer sell him automobiles.
The news readers were a bit upset about this. But you could see they had no idea what to do. Couldn't think of asking people to write the President about it, either. They failed when they didn't point out that every single exporting country of cars backs their manufacturers with money. Every one, that is, except America. Every. Other. One.
Another switch and a story showing the Attorney General simperingly complaining about guns in the U.S. My thoughts went to somehow alerting all real Americans to purchase full auto AKs and such. And plenty of ammunition.
We continued surfing for a while, hearing all the "news" available then. A bleeding heart asking all Americans to welcome "immigrants" to the U.S. (No, he did not use the word "illegal" in conjunction with that, either.) Right after that came news of California hospitals being swamped by these "immigrants". We talked about real immigrants (those who do the request and paperwork thing and come to us legally) and how they were no problem. We wondered why those who break our laws should be rewarded.
We heard about gunfire from "drug gangs" along our southern border. It was treated as if it were only "head shaking stuff, let's forget it" news.
We heard about Homeland Security and how they admitted that, very likely, perhaps, maybe, terrorists were entering our country through our lack of real prevention.
We heard about an attack on a preacher in Kansas City (by a female journalist) because he was not against abortions and proclaimed his belief through his church. And how he was called everything short of a dictator for his beliefs. It was gut wrenching to hear the calculated insults against a man who was only stating his beliefs. His action became using the old American tradition of stating your viewpoint. He was then vilified by people who wanted only their side heard.
We also heard about trillions of dollars being pored into AIG and other conglomerates, but also heard that Chrysler motors would be shut down, which would cause untold job losses and one more step in the destruction of unionization. And unionization is what got workers health insurance, retirement benefits, vacations, reasonable pay, job security, job safety and many more benefits for the average man. You remember him don't you? You should. He's been called the backbone of America.
We heard a snippet about a patriot who lowered a Mexican flag and replaced it with an American flag at our University. And was arrested for doing it.
We learned that some rapper was shot somewhere. What we objected to was the use of the words "music" and "rap" in the same sentence.
We heard the President remark that he was taking steps to "revive" the economy. While spending more billions of dollars. Then we heard that all the home foreclosures were slowing and stopping the economy.
We were told that gasoline prices were increasing because the suppliers were expecting a surge of driving, as opposed to flying, for this summer's vacation. One announcer suggested they were simply gouging the public. Again.
We heard about the more and more complicated shooting and warfare in Afghanistan and Pakistan. And about how the President wanted most of the troops out of Iraq within a year. And we wondered if our country was just switching battle areas for a while.
What happened to my America?
