FACTBOX-Military and civilian deaths in Iraq
24 Apr 2007 08:53:43 GMT24
Apr 2007 08:53:43 GMT
April 24 (Reuters) - A suicide car bomber killed nine U.S. soldiers and wounded 20 at a military base north of Baghdad on Monday, the U.S. military said. One Iraqi civilian was also wounded in the attack.
A U.S. soldier died on Monday after a roadside bomb exploded near him in Muqdadiya, 90 km (56 miles) northeast of Baghdad, the U.S. military said.
Following are the latest figures for military deaths in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003:
U.S.-LED COALITION FORCES:
United States 3,333
Britain 145
Other nations 125
IRAQIS:
Military Between 4,900 and 6,375#
Civilians Between 62,281 and 68,289*
#=Think-tank estimates for military under Saddam Hussein killed during the 2003 war. No reliable official figures have been issued since new security forces were set up in late 2003.
*=From www.iraqbodycount.net (IBC), run by academics and peace activists, based on reports from at least two media sources. IBC says on its Web site that the figure under estimates the true number of casualties.
Of course the Iraqi death tolls listed here are from sources available to media agencies. Noted are studies conducted in universities in Australia, Europe and the USA that have concluded the number dead in Iraq is minially 225,000 to over 650,000. These numbers also do not reflect the number of citizens wounded and permanently maimed or the vast number of refugees of which the USA has virtually accepted no responsibility.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Civility is Vladimir's Fane
Any questions? I mean there isn't, right? No? There are? Well, let me make myself a little more clear.
See, these countries know each other all too, too well. They know what goes on and that is called balance of power. One country develops a technology and the other steels the technology and develops retaliation/defense against it and it builds a better technology on the shoulders of the one stolen and all is right with the world.
Did anyone believe President Putin of Russia would tolerate a Patriot Missile System (PMS - Seriously, I've never known the Defense Department to call it PMS. Wonder why?) now termed MDS (Missile Defense Shield), which is a 'grander' scale of the Patriot; at his borders? Well, not for long which is why the expense equipment hasn't been assembled yet. You know how a McCain can 'bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran?' President Putin could easily do the same thing to an MDS while under construction. So, before all that mess occurs and there is war between the USA and Russia, Gates thought he'd try to be 'the nice guy' and put up a good front to the world and primarily the folks back home.
The truth? Want to know the truth? Okay, here we go.
The systems that counteract 'incoming' missiles have a capacity to launch missiles on the same telemetry as the one it intercepted. Didn't know that, huh? Well, the President of Russia did. And when he stated, "...but, you could launch against us from that vantage point...", he was looking at a much larger capacity. What if the USA government could fashion a system that looked like a Patriot/MDS that actually launched ICBMs or Medium range missiles from such a 'benign' looking operation?
Russia ain't stupid, but, in making 'nice-nice' what Bush and Gates have done is open a flood gate of information that will enhance the Russian knowledge of it's intelligence. In other words, whatever benefit MDS would carry for the USA and allies has resulted in a give away to Russia to 'save face' to their constituency. And I can't say this enough, this is a constituency issue and not a National Security issue.
Politics. Bush and Gates are playing politics with our National Security.
Got it?
Oddly and to the dismay of most that read this, I like President Putin. I know may of the actions the Russian government has taken is counter intuitive to the idea of freedom. But, I have and always will consider Russia a good friend to the USA. In realizing that, he is also a good friend to freedom. The issue with Russia is not so much the 'idea' of freedom pervading it's society, as Boris Yeltsin (click on) brought to Russia in elections, but the 'opportunity' to do so. That transformation will never be to the extent it is in the USA, but, would be far greater and 'permitted' under a Global Sovereignty of Peace. Peace is a world Russian vocabulary dearly understands and one which evades any conversations with The West on a regualar basis.
Russia's 'place' in the world has been assigned as "Global Monitor" of the stability of power and unfortunately that takes it into a rhelm of 'protector' of the balance of power rather than a partner in most major Western institutions where 'community' of countries are enjoyed as a emblem of esteem. When a country seems to 'cooperate' it is viewed internationally as a 'partner' and therefore that interprets into the understanding of 'democratic' principles. Russia is always assigned the job of 'bad cop' in the relationship and it doesn't sell well otherwise.
In recognition of the death of a great Soviet/Russian leader, Boris Yeltsin, I wish all well to realize the 'hope' for a lasting Peace is still in the hearts of many an American.
Monday, April 23, 2007
The weather at Scott Base, Antarctica (Crystal Ice Chime) is:
The Scott Base webcam doesn't show a picture yet, but, there are a couple of Penguin Cams that are up:
All good things must come to an end (click on for animation)
April 23, 2007
1:30 PM
Antarctica
There is a 'settling' of the dynamics of the top ice and once again the 'hotter' environment surrounding Antarctica is intruding. The 'jet stream' is slower and returning to the simplicity of vortex flow around the cold ice (click on). Noted is the absence of wind over southwest area of WAIS which has increased temperature, same as last week (click on). There is a far stronger 'on shore' wind than last week when the heavier and denser frigid air of the Blue Ice literally 'water falled' over the Peninsula. To clearly illustrate the 'intrusion' of the heat from the surrounding tropospheric conditions I'll start with the warmest of the areas, an island which was subzero celcius last week but is above zero this week. That island is just off the northern reaches of the peninsula.
Base Orcadas, Antarctica
Local Time:1:40 PM GST
Elevation :: 20 ft / 6 m
Temperature :: 35 °F / 2 °C
Conditions :: Light Rain
Humidity :: 96%
Dew Point :: 34 °F / 1 °C
Wind :: 21 mph / 33 km/h / from the NW
Wind Gust :: -
Pressure :: 29.24 in / 990 hPa (Rising)
Visibility :: 2.0 miles / 3.0 kilometers
UV :: 0 out of 16
Clouds :: Mostly Cloudy 492 ft / 150 m Mostly Cloudy 2953 ft / 900 m
(Above Ground Level)
At any rate the peninsula is warming and there is an encroaching heat intrusion at the southeast corner of Eastern Antarctica.
Dome C
Local Time :: 3:37 PM GMT
Elevation :: 10761 ft / 3280 m
Temperature :: -76 °F / -60 °C
Wind :: 12 mph / 18 km/h / from the WSW
Wind Gust :: -
Pressure :: in / hPa (Falling)
Aviation
Flight Rule :: NA
Wind Speed :: 12 mph / 18 km/h /
Wind Dir :: 240° (WSW)
Ceiling :: -
Vostok, Antarctica
Elevation :: 11220 ft / 3420 m
Temperature :: -60 °F / -51 °C
Conditions :: Low Drifting Snow
Humidity :: 45%
Dew Point :: -67 °F / -55 °C
Wind :: 16 mph / 26 km/h /from the SSW
Wind Gust :: -
Pressure :: in / hPa (Falling)
Visibility :: 12.0 miles / 20.0 kilometers
UV :: 0 out of 16
Aviation
Flight Rule :: VFR ()
Wind Speed :: 16 mph / 26 km/h /
Wind Dir :: 200° (SSW)
Ceiling :: 100000 ft / 100000 m
Indeed. Circumstances are still pleasant but worrisome.
Do I see a pattern here?
April 23, 2007
1430z
UNISYS water vapor satellite of the north and west hemisphere.
Not carved in stone, as the sun moves up the face of Earth to it's highest latitude there is going to be other manifestations in weather because of 'heat' build up under the CO2.
We are moving through tornado season and that will be followed by a hurricane season that might very well be as calm as last year. The reason being is the available humidity of the troposphere is moving up in elevation and not necessarily available for vortex formation over hotter oceans. With that upward movement of humidity (water vapor) the hurricanes that will result will be from the vortices themselves and not accumulated 'heat' on the ground. The heat on the very surface of Earth will result in that higher evaporation and drought.
But, for now the 'weather system' pattern is fairly obvious and we are looking at a repeat of last week only at a little higher latitude because of the progressing solar radiation.
By LINDA A. JOHNSONAssociated Press
TRENTON, N.J. - April showers aren't necessarily bringing flowers.
Instead, garden centers, nursery growers and landscapers across the country say heavy rains, unseasonably cold weather and snowstorms this month have been killing business, with the cold and mud preventing consumers from buying flowers, shrubs and vegetable seedlings.
East Coast garden center owners are using adjectives from "miserable" to "horrific" to describe the situation, and are hoping a warm, sunny weekend in many areas will help turn things around.
Spring planting has been delayed a couple of weeks for farmers who can't get equipment in soggy fields, and winter crops such as asparagus that should be getting harvested have not been.
"Right now, everybody's just waiting till it dries out," said Ben Casella of the New Jersey Farm Bureau.
Garden centers and wholesale nurseries from southern New England to South Carolina and through the Midwest say business is off - 50 percent at some locations. Meanwhile, fuel costs for heating greenhouses are up dramatically.
"This week, we have done about 10 percent of the business we should do," said George Lucas, owner of flower wholesaler Lucas Greenhouses in Monroeville, N.J.
TRENTON, N.J. - April showers aren't necessarily bringing flowers.
Instead, garden centers, nursery growers and landscapers across the country say heavy rains, unseasonably cold weather and snowstorms this month have been killing business, with the cold and mud preventing consumers from buying flowers, shrubs and vegetable seedlings.
East Coast garden center owners are using adjectives from "miserable" to "horrific" to describe the situation, and are hoping a warm, sunny weekend in many areas will help turn things around.
Spring planting has been delayed a couple of weeks for farmers who can't get equipment in soggy fields, and winter crops such as asparagus that should be getting harvested have not been.
"Right now, everybody's just waiting till it dries out," said Ben Casella of the New Jersey Farm Bureau.
Garden centers and wholesale nurseries from southern New England to South Carolina and through the Midwest say business is off - 50 percent at some locations. Meanwhile, fuel costs for heating greenhouses are up dramatically.
"This week, we have done about 10 percent of the business we should do," said George Lucas, owner of flower wholesaler Lucas Greenhouses in Monroeville, N.J.
article continues at link above
Tornadoes blast Texas Panhandle
April 21, 2007
Tulia, Texas
Photo of tornado damage in downtown Tulia
CACTUS – Downed power lines, flattened houses and roads littered with debris kept most residents from returning home Sunday in this rural Panhandle town hit hardest by an apparent group of tornadoes.
Officials said at least 14 people were injured, including one critically, during severe storms late Saturday that knocked out power to about 20,000 customers in the region.
About 50 people were still unaccounted for in Cactus on Sunday, Moore County Judge Rowdy Rhoades said. He believes all of them are safe and likely evacuated after hearing tornado sirens in this mostly poor city, home of the Swift & Co. meatpacking plant raided by federal immigration officials in December.
"There are no fatalities – you can bank on that," Rhoades said.
Town leaders held an emergency meeting Sunday evening and issued a dusk-to-dawn curfew to "cut back on any type of looting," Rhoades said.
Officials said at least 14 people were injured, including one critically, during severe storms late Saturday that knocked out power to about 20,000 customers in the region.
About 50 people were still unaccounted for in Cactus on Sunday, Moore County Judge Rowdy Rhoades said. He believes all of them are safe and likely evacuated after hearing tornado sirens in this mostly poor city, home of the Swift & Co. meatpacking plant raided by federal immigration officials in December.
"There are no fatalities – you can bank on that," Rhoades said.
Town leaders held an emergency meeting Sunday evening and issued a dusk-to-dawn curfew to "cut back on any type of looting," Rhoades said.
Tornadoes In Texas Knock Out Power
April 21, 2007
Texas Panhandle, Texas
Texas supercell that later went on to produce at least 3 known Torndoes
At Least 14 Injured In Texas Tornadoes
April 21, 2007
Amarillo, Texas
Photographer states :: Some of the lightning action in the Vega TX area on April 21,2007 on the 1st storm chase of the year as lightning strikes over the Wind Farm n.©Gene Blevins/LA DailyNews©
This 'weather system' was obviously dangerous by the fact it has mulitple layers to it's weather front. The cloud on the ground seems similar to a 'roll cloud' which can also cause dust storms when not accompanied by rain. None of this is good news, except, we might be getting a better feel for early prediction when a weather system like this only results in injuries and not deaths. These patterns won't stop until the CO2 levels come down, so until then people have to be aware of their weather systems as they move through.
The weather at Glacier Bay National Park (Crystal Wind Chime) is:
The weather at Glacier Bay National Park is:
Elevation :: 33 feet / 10 meters
Temperature :: 41 F / 5 C
Conditions :: Overcast
Humidity :: 81%
Dew Point :: 36 F / 2 C
Wind :: 9 mph / 15 km/h / 4.1 m/s from the NNW
Pressure :: 29.69 inches / 1005 hPa (Falling)
Windchill :: 35 F / 2 C
Visibility :: 10.0 miles / 16.1 kilometers
Ultraviolet :: 0 out of 16
Clouds :: Mostly Cloudy 3800 feet / 1158 meters
Overcast 4500 feet / 1371 meters
(Above ground level)
end
Elevation :: 33 feet / 10 meters
Temperature :: 41 F / 5 C
Conditions :: Overcast
Humidity :: 81%
Dew Point :: 36 F / 2 C
Wind :: 9 mph / 15 km/h / 4.1 m/s from the NNW
Pressure :: 29.69 inches / 1005 hPa (Falling)
Windchill :: 35 F / 2 C
Visibility :: 10.0 miles / 16.1 kilometers
Ultraviolet :: 0 out of 16
Clouds :: Mostly Cloudy 3800 feet / 1158 meters
Overcast 4500 feet / 1371 meters
(Above ground level)
end
The Brady Argument
There has to be noted a movement thwarted by this administration and considering the composition of the Supreme Court could continue to be an issue. I alluded to it earlier and want to state it clearly here before moving on.
The 'idea' that every manufactured product, be it gun or not, is a good product to market for the sake of making money or having variety within our society is nonsense.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with a society completely limiting among it's populous what is an acceptable gun and what is not. That was the spirit of the Assault Weapon Ban and it can't be ignored. Americans can demand legislation to prohibit certain weapons when they don't make sense for a society. I'll go as so far as to say, a society such as the USA could prohibit the manufacture of certain weapons known to be a problem in other societies as well when they are known to be manufacturered and/or shipped from the USA or it's territories/provinces.
That spirit if you will has been asserted in lawsuits with some success by survivors of such tragedies as Virginia Tech. Where weapons were readily available that serve no purpose to society. In other words, where a manufactured weapon such as an assault rifle is sold to people in the USA and it serves no purpose but to kill large numbers of people/animals, then the manufacturer by virtue of that activity to a market that intends to use it for that reason, is liable for it's actions and business decisions.
We need to do selectively ban weapons in this society both from manufacture and sale, but, with a hostile administration that simply cannot be accomplished.
by Anton Foek, Special to Corp
WatchOctober 25th, 2005
cartoon by Khalil Bendib
cartoon by Khalil Bendib
Every 15 minutes, someone in Brazil dies from a gunshot wound, according to the United Nations. Yet the world’s first ever referendum on banning civilian guns in this country failed to pass this past Sunday.
Instead the proposed ban went down to a resounding defeat with almost two thirds of the population voting no to the question: "Should the sale of all types of guns and ammunition be banned nationwide for everyone except the police and the military?"
Earlier this year, support for the ban had been running as high as 80 percent, but in recent weeks, the pro-gun lobby -- arms makers and various activist groups -- played on fears about the crime rate and the public swung dramatically against 
the proposal. The vote also represented the public’s lack of confidence in security forces -- mired in corruption and inefficiency -- to protect the populace. According to the BBC, middle class men were most likely to oppose the ban, while women and the poor favored it.
the proposal. The vote also represented the public’s lack of confidence in security forces -- mired in corruption and inefficiency -- to protect the populace. According to the BBC, middle class men were most likely to oppose the ban, while women and the poor favored it.For the millions of Brazilians who voted to end gun sales, the defeat was a blow to extensive efforts to curb an epidemic of murder that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives in the past 20 years. Many see this violence as a hidden civil war fueled by a proliferation of small arms -- an estimated 17.5 million guns -- with about 90 percent in civilian hands and half of them illegal. More than 36,000 died last year alone, twice the toll in the early 1990s.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Something's Rotten in Dubai: The Ports Deal, The President's Bro, Homeland Non-Security & ICE
Neil Bush with Datamatrix of Dubai's CEO Ali Al-Kamali
The problems occurred in the Savings and Loan industry as they relate to theft because the industry was deregulated under the Reagan/Bush administration and restrictions were eased on the industry so much that abuse and misuse of funds became easy, rampant, and went unchecked.
The Bush Conservative Republicans and the Bush Dynasty learned a very valuable lesson in today's world. "Run up unfathomable debt" then call it mismanagement and a mistake and have everyone else pay your way back to liquidity and wealth. They learned that while the eldest Bush was in office as Vice President and syphoned funds from the FDIC to pay off Neal Bush's debt to society.
THAT STRATEGY has now pervaded the way Americans think about housing and primarily the American Dream. In other words, 'push the limits' in unison and eventually government will be required to 'bailout' business and in turn we will all be better off for it.
Yesterday on Conservative Talk Radio, I heard an anchor state, "It has been my focus and advice to tell people that if they are running into trouble with their lender they should approach them and work out arrangements. Well, I received a call from someone who took that advice and found out there was nothing that could be done by the lender in regard to the home loan because the financing was attached by a stockholder somewhere.
I understand that is an issue, but, there is good news in that FANNIE MAE and other lenders that handle incredible numbers of mortages are moving before the government for a program that would facilitate such mortgages to receive relief from stockholder financed loans. In other words such lenders would have to remortgage those loans in order to profit from them."
This is nothing but exploiting the public by the proponents of a political strategy that serves as a driving force to constituencies seeking to exploit government and business 'in masse.' It has to stop. The learning curve to the reality of Neal Bush's profiteering from gross mismanagement of established financial institutions has lead to a demoralized America and An American Dream that has turned into a nightmare. It needs to end.
Economist: Local trend not entirely unexpected
By Michael Rappaport, Staff Writer
By Michael Rappaport, Staff Writer
California was hit hard by rising foreclosure numbers in March, although the higher rates weren't all that out of line with historical standards.
That's the word from RealtyTrac's U.S. Foreclosure Market Report, which showed six California metropolitan areas - including San Bernardino-Riverside - among the 10 highest in the country. Nationally, foreclosures were up 7 percent from the month before, although California was up 36percent and trailed only Nevada and Colorado for the highest rate of foreclosures.
Up 148 percent from last year
Subprime loans blamed
Subprime loans blamed
The number of default notices sent to California homeowners last quarter increased to its highest level in almost ten years, the result of flat appreciation, slow sales, and post teaser-rate mortgage resets, according to figures compiled by DataQuick Information Systems, a La Jolla-based real estate information service.
Lending institutions filed 46,760 “Notices of Default” (NoDs) during the January-to-March period. That was up by 23.1 percent from a revised 37,994 for the previous quarter, and up 148 percent from 18,856 for first-quarter 2006, according to DataQuick.
Lending institutions filed 46,760 “Notices of Default” (NoDs) during the January-to-March period. That was up by 23.1 percent from a revised 37,994 for the previous quarter, and up 148 percent from 18,856 for first-quarter 2006, according to DataQuick.
Writer12:25 PM PDT, April 16, 2007
The number of Californians losing their homes to foreclosure rose in the first three months of the year to the highest level in a decade, a real estate information service said today, providing grim evidence that the shake-out in real estate is nowhere near over.
Foreclosures totaled 11,033, up 802% from the placid levels of early 2006, according to DataQuick Information Services in La Jolla. Foreclosures peaked at 15,418 in third-quarter 1996, at the tail end of the last big slowdown in the state. They bottomed out at 637 in the second quarter of 2005, as the most recent boom was cresting.
Tens of thousands of homeowners are being warned that they too are at risk. Notices of default, sent by lenders after about five months of missed payments, reached 46,760 in the first quarter, DataQuick said.
This is systematic abuse of consumers to form a political constituency of NEED, reliant on political clout in order to continue their march of economic exploitation at any cost. It's called corruption. It needs to stop and not be further facilitated by 'bad business decisions.' The industry of Conservative Talk Radio and Conservative Cable News is as corrupt as the day is long. It needs to end. They are draconian for the purpose of power. Their constituencies mean nothing to them unless they 'toe the party line.'
It was my hope to deliver a more comprehensive view of gun control which encompasses many dimensions. It can lead to enjoyable gun ownership and responsible gun owernership so long as the corruption can be cleaned up and enforcement of existing and potentially new laws are unheld. Good luck to all. My deepest sympathies for the tragedies at Virginia Tech. I wish I could roll back time and stop it all. We must win this debate and not by arming society but by uniting in efforts to stop this insanity.
I am finished with this mess !!!!!
Either we are going to solve tough issues or we are going to give into profiteers. Which is it? "Violent crimes rise after years of falling"
Updated 9/18/2006
11:40 PM ET
By Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — The nation's murder rate rose 1.8% last year after hitting a two-decade low in 2004, the FBI said Monday in a report that raised questions about whether violent crime rates will continue to head up after years of decline.
The overall rate for violent crimes — murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault — rose 1.3% in 2005 but remained far below the high set in 1991, when homicide rates in many cities soared amid a sluggish economy and gang wars. Last year, in fact, the rate for rapes alone fell 2.2% and was the lowest it had been in more than 20 years.
The jump in the overall rate for violent crimes, however, gave ammunition to several police officials who have complained that the U.S. government has allowed anti-crime initiatives to languish as it has focused on anti-terrorism efforts here and abroad.
"This report should serve as a strong wake-up call," said Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske in Seattle, which recorded a 25% increase in gun-related crime last year. "We better realign our focus to the war going on in some of our cities."
Edward Flynn, police commissioner in Springfield, Mass., said local police agencies have yet to recover from the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, which led the federal government to redirect tens of millions of dollars in grants away from policing projects and toward homeland security programs.
"Police can't be good homeland security partners if they cannot do their core missions," said Flynn, whose city of 155,000 had 18 homicides last year, double the number from 2000. "People need to see this as a sign for concern."
AS long as I've spent all this time listening to Conservative Talk Radio pollution there is on more thing I want to emphasize about 'The Housing Bubble' and then I'll be done with this mess. After all today is Earth Day. I'd rather languish in that reality than the fact guns pervading society is actually a priority of this administration.
Where the Guns Come from: The Gun Industry and Gun
Philip J. Cook; Jens Ludwig
University of Pennsylvania Law Review, Vol. 151, No. 4.
(Apr., 2003),
pp. 1329-1340.
...the 'goal' of this article...is to develop sound information that at least some voters and authorities will find helpful.
AND THERE IN LIES THE RUB. The real challenge of any government, the United Nations, any advocacy group and any peoples is to find the facts and act on them. This may very well be a global issue encompassing casual weapon possession all the way to arming rebels and al Qaeda. The conversation has to go on and has to proceed in a manner that will result in a 'resolve' to control violence of small arms at all levels. What needs to be harnessed is a determination to stop the 'exploitation' of death and the promotion of gun sales when mass killings and high crime numbers are linked to personal possession as a means of personal protection. I don't find it helpful when police are minimized in their importance in resolving issues of domestic violence, which school and work place violence is an extension of. I also don't find it helpful to provide weapons 'out of context' in society that are dangerous to law enforcement as well as citizens.
Philip J. Cook
Crime and Justice, Vol. 14.
(1991), pp. 1-71.
Over 30,000 deaths each year result from gunshot wounds. Two decades of systematic research on weapons and personal violence indicate a pervasive influence of weapon type on the patterns and outcomes of violent encounters. The likelihood that an assault will result in death depends (among other things) on the lethality of the weapon. The evidence that weapon lethality affects the likelihood of death in suicide is somewhat weaker. Assailants' weapon choice depends on a number of factors, including the relative vulnerability of the intended victim and the general availability of firearms. National Crime Survey data indicate that guns are used only about 80,000 times each year in self-defense.
Jeffrey A. Miron
Journal of Law and Economics, Vol. 44, No. 2, Part 2,
Guns, Crime, and Safety: A Conference Sponsored by the American Enterprise Institute and the Center for Law, Economics, and Public Policy at Yale Law School.
(Oct., 2001), pp. 615-633.
Violence rates differ dramatically across countries. A widely held view is that these differences reflect differences in gun control and/or gun availability, and certain pieces of evidence appear consistent with this hypothesis. A more detailed examination of this evidence suggests that the role of gun control/availability is not compelling. This more detailed examination, however, does not provide an alternative explanation for cross-country differences in violence. This paper suggests that differences in the enforcement of drug prohibition are an important factor in explaining differences in violence rates across countries. To determine the validity of this hypothesis, the paper examines data on homicide rates, drug prohibition enforcement, and gun control policy for broad range of countries. The results suggest a role for drug prohibition enforcement in explaining cross-country differences in violence, and they provide an alternative explanation for some of the apparent effects of gun control/availability on violence rates.
Jeffrey Fagan; Deanna L. Wilkinson
Crime and Justice, Vol. 24, Youth Violence. (1998),
pp. 105-188.
While youth violence has always been a critical part of delinquency, the modern epidemic is marked by high rates of gun violence. Adolescents in cities possess and carry guns on a large scale, guns are often at the scene of youth violence, and guns often are used. Guns play a central role in initiating, sustaining, and elevating the epidemic of youth violence. The demand for guns among youth was fueled by an "ecology of danger," comprising street gangs, expanding drug markets with high intrinsic levels of violence, high rates of adult violence and fatalities, and cultural styles of gun possession and carrying. Guns became symbols of respect, power, identity, and manhood to a generation of youth, in addition to having strategic value for survival. The relationship between guns and youth violence is complex. The effects of guns are mediated by structural factors that increase the youth demand for guns, the available supply, and culture and scripts which teach kids lethal ways to use guns.
Public Opinion about Gun Policies
Tom W. Smith
The Future of Children, Vol. 12, No. 2,
Children, Youth, and Gun Violence.
(Summer - Autumn, 2002),
pp. 154-163.
Children, Youth, and Gun Violence: Analysis and Recommendations
Kathleen Reich; Patti L. Culross; Richard E. Behrman
The Future of Children, Vol. 12, No. 2,
Children, Youth, and Gun Violence.
(Summer - Autumn, 2002),
pp. 4-23.
A legitimate argument regarding gun control and it's fluid existance in the American culture is the availability of guns to minority populations that have turned gun violence into their primary culture. The enforcement of such laws increases the impact on these communities 'creating' a feedback loop that is anti-social and dangerous. When controlling weapons in a society the enforcement has to be equitable across cultural venues, however, considerations in sentencing has to include the fact the gun violence and crime was committed in a community 'entrenched' in the a culture of drugs and drug cultural economy. Where there is poverty in the USA, there is drugs. Where there is drugs, there are guns. We cannot sequester minorities in the USA into 'blocks' of poverty, poor education and violence to enforce laws that will create more of the same culturally. There must accompany all venues, educational directives that are intended to stop the cultural violence and turn children away from crime through understanding of the law, IF, you can get them to attend school.
The Law and Juvenile Justice for People of Color in Elementary and Secondary Schools
Frank Brown; Charles J. Russo; Richard C. HunterSource:
The Journal of Negro Education, Vol. 71, No. 3, Juvenile
Children of Color in the United States.
(Summer, 2002), pp. 128-142.
...An alternative solution would be to teach children about the justice system through education on the Constitution. Young people, including children of color, will be inclined to obey thelaw if they understand the laws and their individual relationship to the Constitution, the courts, and the political process.
The Integration Game
Abraham Bell; Gideon Parchomovsky
Columbia Law Review, Vol. 100, No. 8.
(Dec., 2000),
pp. 1965-2029.
Despite studies indicating an increasing preference for integrated housing and legal measures against housing discrimination, housing segregation persists in American society. This Article addresses this seeming paradox by challenging Thomas Schelling's classic tipping model as overly simplistic, and advancing in its stead a three-game model of homeowner preferences. After characterizing the interplay of incentives that distorts homeowner choices in resegregating neighborhoods, the Article draws on techniques that have been developed to neutralize distortionary incentives in the stock market to propose four measures for combatting market incentives leading to resegregation: home-equity insurance, realty sales taxes, institutional subsidies, and growth controls. While these techniques will not completely arrest resegregation, they will enable nonbiased homeowners to achieve their goal of racially integrated housing. In addition to increasing integration, these techniques should create a separating equilibrium in which only racially biased individuals would choose to leave racially changing neighborhoods, thereby revealing their true colors.
Tom W. Smith
The Future of Children, Vol. 12, No. 2,
Children, Youth, and Gun Violence.
(Summer - Autumn, 2002),
pp. 154-163.
Children, Youth, and Gun Violence: Analysis and Recommendations
Kathleen Reich; Patti L. Culross; Richard E. Behrman
The Future of Children, Vol. 12, No. 2,
Children, Youth, and Gun Violence.
(Summer - Autumn, 2002),
pp. 4-23.
A legitimate argument regarding gun control and it's fluid existance in the American culture is the availability of guns to minority populations that have turned gun violence into their primary culture. The enforcement of such laws increases the impact on these communities 'creating' a feedback loop that is anti-social and dangerous. When controlling weapons in a society the enforcement has to be equitable across cultural venues, however, considerations in sentencing has to include the fact the gun violence and crime was committed in a community 'entrenched' in the a culture of drugs and drug cultural economy. Where there is poverty in the USA, there is drugs. Where there is drugs, there are guns. We cannot sequester minorities in the USA into 'blocks' of poverty, poor education and violence to enforce laws that will create more of the same culturally. There must accompany all venues, educational directives that are intended to stop the cultural violence and turn children away from crime through understanding of the law, IF, you can get them to attend school.
The Law and Juvenile Justice for People of Color in Elementary and Secondary Schools
Frank Brown; Charles J. Russo; Richard C. HunterSource:
The Journal of Negro Education, Vol. 71, No. 3, Juvenile
Children of Color in the United States.
(Summer, 2002), pp. 128-142.
...An alternative solution would be to teach children about the justice system through education on the Constitution. Young people, including children of color, will be inclined to obey thelaw if they understand the laws and their individual relationship to the Constitution, the courts, and the political process.
The Integration Game
Abraham Bell; Gideon Parchomovsky
Columbia Law Review, Vol. 100, No. 8.
(Dec., 2000),
pp. 1965-2029.
Despite studies indicating an increasing preference for integrated housing and legal measures against housing discrimination, housing segregation persists in American society. This Article addresses this seeming paradox by challenging Thomas Schelling's classic tipping model as overly simplistic, and advancing in its stead a three-game model of homeowner preferences. After characterizing the interplay of incentives that distorts homeowner choices in resegregating neighborhoods, the Article draws on techniques that have been developed to neutralize distortionary incentives in the stock market to propose four measures for combatting market incentives leading to resegregation: home-equity insurance, realty sales taxes, institutional subsidies, and growth controls. While these techniques will not completely arrest resegregation, they will enable nonbiased homeowners to achieve their goal of racially integrated housing. In addition to increasing integration, these techniques should create a separating equilibrium in which only racially biased individuals would choose to leave racially changing neighborhoods, thereby revealing their true colors.
Canada, the USA Neighbor to the North is also seeking to restrict guns and the violence they cause.
Police Report the NASA Shooting was a Work Related Grudge
Sean Connolly
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Police investigators in Houston say a NASA contract employee was settling a work-related grudge when he killed a co-worker on Friday and took a hostage before shooting himself.
On March 16, 60-year-old William Phillips, a NASA contract worker, received a negative performance review from his superiors.
Police say Phillips purchased a Smith and Wesson special revolver the next day and brought the gun with him on Friday.
Phillips shot his superior twice, then left the room, returned and shot the man two more times -- killing him.
A NASA spokesperson says security procedures are under review.
Naples firefighters packed heat while at work
On-duty personnel also bought, sold and appraised weapons at fire stations
For hundreds of firefighters in Collier County, the fire station is their “office.”
...But according to the testimony of a former lieutenant from the City of Naples fire department, he, and a number of other firefighters, including several other lieutenants and at least one chief, were buying, selling and appraising guns at work for years while on city time. The former lieutenant also testified that at one point he brought a 12-gauge shotgun to work and sold it to another firefighter....
Workplace firearms is NOT a right. An employer has a right to restrict weapons, BUT, they have to enforce it, including dismissal without warning of people carrying weapons with them 'on property.'
I want to look at some academic references.
Sean Connolly
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Police investigators in Houston say a NASA contract employee was settling a work-related grudge when he killed a co-worker on Friday and took a hostage before shooting himself.
On March 16, 60-year-old William Phillips, a NASA contract worker, received a negative performance review from his superiors.
Police say Phillips purchased a Smith and Wesson special revolver the next day and brought the gun with him on Friday.
Phillips shot his superior twice, then left the room, returned and shot the man two more times -- killing him.
A NASA spokesperson says security procedures are under review.
Naples firefighters packed heat while at work
On-duty personnel also bought, sold and appraised weapons at fire stations
For hundreds of firefighters in Collier County, the fire station is their “office.”
...But according to the testimony of a former lieutenant from the City of Naples fire department, he, and a number of other firefighters, including several other lieutenants and at least one chief, were buying, selling and appraising guns at work for years while on city time. The former lieutenant also testified that at one point he brought a 12-gauge shotgun to work and sold it to another firefighter....
Workplace firearms is NOT a right. An employer has a right to restrict weapons, BUT, they have to enforce it, including dismissal without warning of people carrying weapons with them 'on property.'
I want to look at some academic references.
Editorial: Fear behind America's love of guns
The left-wing American movie-maker Michael Moore may not be to every taste, but his study of the Colorado school massacre eight years ago was a powerful indictment of the forces that have infested so many American households with firearms. The movie is resonating now in the coverage of yet another student massacre, this time with many more victims at a Virginia university.
It was not confirmed that the young gunman who died with 32 others at Virginia Tech had acquired his weapon as easily as the two teenagers at Columbine High School, but there is not much doubt that he did. Nothing has been done since the Columbine massacre to make it harder for disturbed young people to find a gun and write a chapter for themselves in America's inglorious record of campus slaughter.
The dead killers of Columbine and Virginia Tech join the student who climbed an observation tower at the University of Texas in 1966 and killed 15 people, the Chinese student denied an academic honour who opened fire in two buildings on the University of Iowa campus 16 years ago, killing five employees, the University of Arizona nursing student and Gulf War veteran who shot three instructors in 2002, the graduate student at Virginia's Appalachian School of Law who killed the dean, a professor and a student, and several more.
When guns are used at places of learning it is particularly tragic. Education should be the antithesis of violence. Schools and universities exist to encourage civilised expression and impart the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in reasoned argument. They are the last places families should have reason to fear for their children's safety.
Yet so many of those families in the United States seem to have firearms at home, and not for sport. The guns that feature in campus shootings are not generally hunting rifles and the like, they are handguns and even semi-automatic assault rifles. They are for killing people, nothing else, or as their owners would say, for self-defence.
The movie Bowling for Columbine was an insight into the fears of Americans, or white Americans anyway. Its conclusion was that white Americans are instilled with a fear of black crime that is out of all proportion to its incidence. They keep their doors locked at all times when they are at home and fear to enter a predominantly black area of town. They receive a constant diet of crime, mostly black, on television news programmes and live in terror of it.
If they notice that whites are rarely the victims of black crime, they probably put it down to having a gun in their homes. It is a tragedy of American life that the weapons they believe they need for protection so often become instruments of death for their loved ones. Their children's classmates may come from well-to-do homes where handguns and ammunition, easily purchased over the counter in the US, may be kept unlocked and readily available.
The latest youthful massacre has taken the largest toll. It would be a consolation to believe that this time, at long last, Americans may rethink their constitutional right to bear arms, but it seems unlikely. The National Rifle Association will argue as always that people, not guns, are the problem, and that a disarmed population cannot be "free". But the gun lobby is only as powerful as most Americans want it to be. They cannot be convinced that fear is their worst enemy. Fear is the only reason they continue to harbour the weapons of their own destruction.
It was not confirmed that the young gunman who died with 32 others at Virginia Tech had acquired his weapon as easily as the two teenagers at Columbine High School, but there is not much doubt that he did. Nothing has been done since the Columbine massacre to make it harder for disturbed young people to find a gun and write a chapter for themselves in America's inglorious record of campus slaughter.
The dead killers of Columbine and Virginia Tech join the student who climbed an observation tower at the University of Texas in 1966 and killed 15 people, the Chinese student denied an academic honour who opened fire in two buildings on the University of Iowa campus 16 years ago, killing five employees, the University of Arizona nursing student and Gulf War veteran who shot three instructors in 2002, the graduate student at Virginia's Appalachian School of Law who killed the dean, a professor and a student, and several more.
When guns are used at places of learning it is particularly tragic. Education should be the antithesis of violence. Schools and universities exist to encourage civilised expression and impart the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in reasoned argument. They are the last places families should have reason to fear for their children's safety.
Yet so many of those families in the United States seem to have firearms at home, and not for sport. The guns that feature in campus shootings are not generally hunting rifles and the like, they are handguns and even semi-automatic assault rifles. They are for killing people, nothing else, or as their owners would say, for self-defence.
The movie Bowling for Columbine was an insight into the fears of Americans, or white Americans anyway. Its conclusion was that white Americans are instilled with a fear of black crime that is out of all proportion to its incidence. They keep their doors locked at all times when they are at home and fear to enter a predominantly black area of town. They receive a constant diet of crime, mostly black, on television news programmes and live in terror of it.
If they notice that whites are rarely the victims of black crime, they probably put it down to having a gun in their homes. It is a tragedy of American life that the weapons they believe they need for protection so often become instruments of death for their loved ones. Their children's classmates may come from well-to-do homes where handguns and ammunition, easily purchased over the counter in the US, may be kept unlocked and readily available.
The latest youthful massacre has taken the largest toll. It would be a consolation to believe that this time, at long last, Americans may rethink their constitutional right to bear arms, but it seems unlikely. The National Rifle Association will argue as always that people, not guns, are the problem, and that a disarmed population cannot be "free". But the gun lobby is only as powerful as most Americans want it to be. They cannot be convinced that fear is their worst enemy. Fear is the only reason they continue to harbour the weapons of their own destruction.
Cell Phone Stun Gun - Don't get burned in more than one way. It can result in lawsuits.
Again, with 'weapons' of this nature, be sure you know how to use it and protect yourself from it's potential. Any weapon carried on one's person is a serious and legal issue all by itself. Don't forget you have to be able to afford it as well.
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