Police are currently reporting the man as being under the age of 40, wearing a wooly black hat. Detectives said it is “likely” the offender was wearing a high visibility jacket and made off on a white and black moped which could have had the numbers five and eight in the registration number. Police are currently investigating whether last night’s incident is linked to a similar offence on Christmas Eve in the town. At around 6pm, a man threatened a male assistant at the Prospect Filling Station with a knife making off with cash. The suspect is described as being a white man aged between 20 and 30 years old, approximately 6’ in height, of slim build with brown eyes. He was reportedly wearing a blue hat and face scarf with horizontal stripes, a blue sweatshirt, jeans and dark shoes.
In addition, on December 21, at 9pm, a man threatened a member of staff with a knife at the Co-op supermarket on South Street and made off with cigarettes and vodka. Police have charged Samuel Murphy, in his 20s, from Axminster with the offence. Police are not linking the offences with an alleged attempted robbery at a residential address on Flax Meadow Road in the town at 9pm on Friday, December 27. A man reportedly knocked on the door of a house and threatened a woman in her 40s with a knife. No property was taken but the woman is understood to have suffered minor injuries in the incident. The offender is described as being a young man about 5’6” in height, wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt and black gloves with light coloured blue jeans.
It is thought he may have made off with an accomplice in an old style car with a loud exhaust.The offences follow a robbery involving an offender threatening a shop assistant with a knife in Seaton early in the month. Detective Constable Matt Sinker, who is involved in the investigations, is urging anyone with any information about the offences to contact them. These are serious incidents and officers are working hard to identify if they are linked and who is responsible. “Anyone with any information about the incidents, such as anyone who saw someone race off from the Tesco petrol station on a moped, or anyone acting suspiciously in any of the locations, should contact us.”
2013年12月30日星期一
2013年12月27日星期五
Leeds high street knifeman terror
A court heard Palmer, 32, took two large kitchen knives from the homeware aisle at the ASDA store on Harehills Lane before taking them out of their packaging and using them to attack a cake stand. A major alert was sparked after Palmer then walked out of the store clutching the weapons and was spotted by worried members of the public as he walked along Harehills Lane during a busy Sunday afternoon on Father’s Day, June 16, this year. One witness described seeing Palmer staring at a group of children and feared he was going to attack one of the them. Palmer then ran at a local resident who was standing in his garden when he shouted at him to drop the weapons. The dad-of-four China pastor's supporters beaten on Christmas Eve thrust one of the knives through his garden fence and it cut the man’s hand as he tried to defend himself with a spade. Palmer then went into a Sainsbury’s local store and created panic. David Mackay, prosecuting, said customers including women and children suffered injuries as they fell over trying to run from the store and food and drink was knocked over.
A woman who had two children with her had to pick the youngsters up and flee the store as she was not able to push their pram out of the building. Palmer, of Brownhills Crescent, Harehills, then discharged a fire extinguisher at police officers before locking himself into an office for five hours. Negotiators were called to try to persuade Palmer to give himself up. During the stand-off he lit a number of fires and firefighters had to knock down a wall to tackle the blaze. Palmer eventually gave himself up around 6pm. He pleaded guilty to arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered, assault and possession of a bladed article. A court heard evidence from a doctor who described how Palmer was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia but was responding well to treatment at New Lodge secure unit in Wakefield. Palmer’s barrister, Narinder Rathour, said Palmer committed the offences after becoming upset at not being able to see his children on Fathers’ Day. Judge Neil Clark imposed a Hospital Order under the Mental Health Act to enable Palmer to continue to receive treatment for his condition. He said: “All of this is linked to the fact that you have an illness which you yourself recognise.”
A woman who had two children with her had to pick the youngsters up and flee the store as she was not able to push their pram out of the building. Palmer, of Brownhills Crescent, Harehills, then discharged a fire extinguisher at police officers before locking himself into an office for five hours. Negotiators were called to try to persuade Palmer to give himself up. During the stand-off he lit a number of fires and firefighters had to knock down a wall to tackle the blaze. Palmer eventually gave himself up around 6pm. He pleaded guilty to arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered, assault and possession of a bladed article. A court heard evidence from a doctor who described how Palmer was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia but was responding well to treatment at New Lodge secure unit in Wakefield. Palmer’s barrister, Narinder Rathour, said Palmer committed the offences after becoming upset at not being able to see his children on Fathers’ Day. Judge Neil Clark imposed a Hospital Order under the Mental Health Act to enable Palmer to continue to receive treatment for his condition. He said: “All of this is linked to the fact that you have an illness which you yourself recognise.”
2013年12月25日星期三
China pastor's supporters beaten on Christmas Eve
A group of rights lawyers and churchgoers supporting a jailed Chinese Christian pastor were attacked by hired thugs on Christmas Eve at his house in central China, his wife and two lawyers said.
Wang Fengrui, his wife, said dozens of thugs kicked and punched members of the group on Tuesday when they attempted to leave the house in Nanle county in Henan province.
Pastor Zhang Shaojie and his aides were arrested more than a month ago over a land dispute and have been denied access to lawyers. His case has drawn the scrutiny of rights lawyers and activists who say it exposes a county government's ability to act with impunity against a local church even if it is state-sanctioned.
While land disputes are common in China, Zhang's popularity has prompted many of the country's Christians to rally around him to defend what they say is religious freedom. They say the county government reneged on an agreement to provide Zhang's congregation with land for a building, leaving them without a place of worship.
Among those kept at the house Tuesday were three lawyers and an assistant, who had traveled to Nanle to seek meetings with Zhang and his aides.
Five churchgoers who were at Zhang's house along with the lawyers had hoped to hold a prayer meeting on Monday to rally support for him, but were prevented by authorities.
The conflict became violent when the thugs forcibly prevented the lawyers and churchgoers from leaving the house on Tuesday, according to Wang and two lawyers at the house.
"About 20 or so people had staked out the house overnight with lights and bonfires, and they used violence to prevent some of us from leaving, grabbing their clothes, taking their possessions such as bank cards and beating them," said Zhang's lawyer, Xia Jun.
Among those beaten was 63-year-old lawyer Cheng Weishan, who said he was praying for forgiveness of the thugs when they came after him, pulling his briefcase while punching him in the back and hitting his hands to force him to release it.
"I thought they would have some limit when dealing with an elderly person like me, but they had none," said Cheng, who was left with only the briefcase's two handles.
The crowd of thugs grew to about 40, and the lawyers said they called police for help but to no avail. A man who answered the phone at the local police station said he had no knowledge of the incident, and calls to the county government office rang unanswered.
Both Xia and Wang said Cao Nan, a preacher who came from Shenzhen to Nanle for the prayer meeting, told them he was placed inside a cage at the local police station, beaten, and sprayed with pepper water on Monday before being allowed to go to Zhang's house.
Wang Fengrui, his wife, said dozens of thugs kicked and punched members of the group on Tuesday when they attempted to leave the house in Nanle county in Henan province.
Pastor Zhang Shaojie and his aides were arrested more than a month ago over a land dispute and have been denied access to lawyers. His case has drawn the scrutiny of rights lawyers and activists who say it exposes a county government's ability to act with impunity against a local church even if it is state-sanctioned.
While land disputes are common in China, Zhang's popularity has prompted many of the country's Christians to rally around him to defend what they say is religious freedom. They say the county government reneged on an agreement to provide Zhang's congregation with land for a building, leaving them without a place of worship.
Among those kept at the house Tuesday were three lawyers and an assistant, who had traveled to Nanle to seek meetings with Zhang and his aides.
Five churchgoers who were at Zhang's house along with the lawyers had hoped to hold a prayer meeting on Monday to rally support for him, but were prevented by authorities.
The conflict became violent when the thugs forcibly prevented the lawyers and churchgoers from leaving the house on Tuesday, according to Wang and two lawyers at the house.
"About 20 or so people had staked out the house overnight with lights and bonfires, and they used violence to prevent some of us from leaving, grabbing their clothes, taking their possessions such as bank cards and beating them," said Zhang's lawyer, Xia Jun.
Among those beaten was 63-year-old lawyer Cheng Weishan, who said he was praying for forgiveness of the thugs when they came after him, pulling his briefcase while punching him in the back and hitting his hands to force him to release it.
"I thought they would have some limit when dealing with an elderly person like me, but they had none," said Cheng, who was left with only the briefcase's two handles.
The crowd of thugs grew to about 40, and the lawyers said they called police for help but to no avail. A man who answered the phone at the local police station said he had no knowledge of the incident, and calls to the county government office rang unanswered.
Both Xia and Wang said Cao Nan, a preacher who came from Shenzhen to Nanle for the prayer meeting, told them he was placed inside a cage at the local police station, beaten, and sprayed with pepper water on Monday before being allowed to go to Zhang's house.
2013年12月19日星期四
Corvallis man arraigned in alleged plot to kill ex's new boyfriend
A Corvallis man accused of trying to meet up with his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend to kill him pleaded not guilty Thursday in Benton County Circuit Court to attempted murder and other felony charges.
A court document released Thursday provided additional details surrounding Wednesday’s arrest of 35-year-old Michael Glenn Estrada — including an accusation that he falsely reported that his ex-girlfriend had been kidnapped.
Estrada called 911 at 3:38 a.m. Wednesday, claiming that Christine Beal, 27, was missing and that he suspected that Trevor Morris, 46, had kidnapped her, according to a document filed in court by Corvallis Police Detective Bryan Rehnberg.
Police suspected that Estrada was lying because he had filed a similar report a couple weeks before, when Beal had left by her own free will, according to the court document. Estrada reported that Beal was his girlfriend, though police described her as his ex-girlfriend who shared an apartment with him at 755 N.W. Third St.
After Estrada filed the report, police located Beal and Morris, who told a different story. Beal said that Estrada entered her room at 2 a.m. and woke her up by placing a knife to her throat, according to court documents. After allegedly taunting her for 20-25 minutes, he reportedly pulled away the blade on the condition that she call Morris and arrange to meet with him.
Beal told police that Estrada concealed a 14-inch crowbar in his pants and a 3-4 inch paring knife in his pocket and walked far behind her so that Morris wouldn’t see him when he pulled up in his car at the meeting place on Northwest Van Buren Avenue near Kings Boulevard. But Beal quickly jumped into Morris’ car, and they took off without being harmed, she told police.
After locating them on Wednesday, detectives worked with Morris to arrange another time and place to meet with Estrada. When police arrested him near that rendezvous point in Central Park, about 9 a.m., they found two 8-inch kitchen knives hidden up Estrada’s sleeves, according to court documents.
In a recorded phone conversation with Beal, Estrada accused Beal of doing drugs with Morris and allegedly spoke of his intentions to hurt Morris, and that he didn’t care if he went back to prison. Estrada was sentenced to 75 months in prison and 10 years’ post-prison supervision on June 12, 2006, for first-degree sexual abuse.
A court document released Thursday provided additional details surrounding Wednesday’s arrest of 35-year-old Michael Glenn Estrada — including an accusation that he falsely reported that his ex-girlfriend had been kidnapped.
Estrada called 911 at 3:38 a.m. Wednesday, claiming that Christine Beal, 27, was missing and that he suspected that Trevor Morris, 46, had kidnapped her, according to a document filed in court by Corvallis Police Detective Bryan Rehnberg.
Police suspected that Estrada was lying because he had filed a similar report a couple weeks before, when Beal had left by her own free will, according to the court document. Estrada reported that Beal was his girlfriend, though police described her as his ex-girlfriend who shared an apartment with him at 755 N.W. Third St.
After Estrada filed the report, police located Beal and Morris, who told a different story. Beal said that Estrada entered her room at 2 a.m. and woke her up by placing a knife to her throat, according to court documents. After allegedly taunting her for 20-25 minutes, he reportedly pulled away the blade on the condition that she call Morris and arrange to meet with him.
Beal told police that Estrada concealed a 14-inch crowbar in his pants and a 3-4 inch paring knife in his pocket and walked far behind her so that Morris wouldn’t see him when he pulled up in his car at the meeting place on Northwest Van Buren Avenue near Kings Boulevard. But Beal quickly jumped into Morris’ car, and they took off without being harmed, she told police.
After locating them on Wednesday, detectives worked with Morris to arrange another time and place to meet with Estrada. When police arrested him near that rendezvous point in Central Park, about 9 a.m., they found two 8-inch kitchen knives hidden up Estrada’s sleeves, according to court documents.
In a recorded phone conversation with Beal, Estrada accused Beal of doing drugs with Morris and allegedly spoke of his intentions to hurt Morris, and that he didn’t care if he went back to prison. Estrada was sentenced to 75 months in prison and 10 years’ post-prison supervision on June 12, 2006, for first-degree sexual abuse.
2013年12月16日星期一
Anti-germ soap could be health risk
The U.S. government said Monday it has no evidence that antibacterial chemicals used in liquid soaps and washes help prevent the spread of germs, and it is reviewing research suggesting they may pose health risks.
Regulators at the Food and Drug Administration said they are revisiting the safety of chemicals such as triclosan in light of recent studies suggesting the substances can interfere with hormone levels and spur the growth of drug-resistant bacteria.
The government's preliminary ruling lends new support to outside researchers who have long argued that the chemicals are, at best, ineffective and at worst, a threat to public health.
"The FDA is finally making a judgment call here and asking industry to show us that these products are better than soap and water, and the data don't substantiate that," said Stuart Levy A Long-Overdue Victory For California's Rape Victims of Tufts University School of Medicine.
Under a proposed rule released Monday, the agency, which monitors product safety, will require manufacturers to prove that antibacterial soaps and body washes are safe and more effective than plain soap and water. Products that are not shown to be safe and effective by late 2016 would have to be reformulated, relabeled or removed from the market.
"I suspect there are a lot of consumers who assume that by using an antibacterial soap product they are protecting themselves from illness, protecting their families," said Sandra Kweder, deputy director in FDA's drug center. "But we don't have any evidence that that is really the case over simple soap and water."
A spokesman for the cleaning product industry did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.
The FDA ruling does not apply to hand sanitizers, most of which use alcohol rather than antibacterial chemicals.
The agency will accept data from companies and researchers for one year before beginning to finalize the rule.
The FDA proposal comes more than 40 years after the agency was first tasked with evaluating triclosan, triclocarban and similar ingredients. Ultimately, the government only agreed to publish its findings after a three-year legal battle with the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group that accused the FDA of delaying action on triclosan. The chemical is found in an estimated 75 percent of antibacterial liquid soaps and body washes sold in the U.S., including some brands of Dial from Henkel AG & Co., one of the nation's largest soap makers.
While the FDA ruling only applies to liquid hygiene cleaners, it has implications for a broader $1 billion industry that includes thousands of antibacterial products, including kitchen knives, toys and toothpaste. Over the last 20 years, companies have added triclosan and other cleaners to thousands of household products, touting their germ-killing benefits.
Regulators at the Food and Drug Administration said they are revisiting the safety of chemicals such as triclosan in light of recent studies suggesting the substances can interfere with hormone levels and spur the growth of drug-resistant bacteria.
The government's preliminary ruling lends new support to outside researchers who have long argued that the chemicals are, at best, ineffective and at worst, a threat to public health.
"The FDA is finally making a judgment call here and asking industry to show us that these products are better than soap and water, and the data don't substantiate that," said Stuart Levy A Long-Overdue Victory For California's Rape Victims of Tufts University School of Medicine.
Under a proposed rule released Monday, the agency, which monitors product safety, will require manufacturers to prove that antibacterial soaps and body washes are safe and more effective than plain soap and water. Products that are not shown to be safe and effective by late 2016 would have to be reformulated, relabeled or removed from the market.
"I suspect there are a lot of consumers who assume that by using an antibacterial soap product they are protecting themselves from illness, protecting their families," said Sandra Kweder, deputy director in FDA's drug center. "But we don't have any evidence that that is really the case over simple soap and water."
A spokesman for the cleaning product industry did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.
The FDA ruling does not apply to hand sanitizers, most of which use alcohol rather than antibacterial chemicals.
The agency will accept data from companies and researchers for one year before beginning to finalize the rule.
The FDA proposal comes more than 40 years after the agency was first tasked with evaluating triclosan, triclocarban and similar ingredients. Ultimately, the government only agreed to publish its findings after a three-year legal battle with the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group that accused the FDA of delaying action on triclosan. The chemical is found in an estimated 75 percent of antibacterial liquid soaps and body washes sold in the U.S., including some brands of Dial from Henkel AG & Co., one of the nation's largest soap makers.
While the FDA ruling only applies to liquid hygiene cleaners, it has implications for a broader $1 billion industry that includes thousands of antibacterial products, including kitchen knives, toys and toothpaste. Over the last 20 years, companies have added triclosan and other cleaners to thousands of household products, touting their germ-killing benefits.
2013年12月12日星期四
A Long-Overdue Victory For California's Rape Victims
The three-member board voted unanimously to end California's status as the only state with such a prohibition, though it will take several months to formally repeal the regulation.
The board acted after hearing what Batjer and fellow board member Michael Ramos called passionate and compelling testimony from several sex workers who said they have been assaulted.
"They've been raped, abused, crimes committed against them," said Ramos, the district attorney in San Bernardino County. "They're victims. Nobody deserves to be raped, I don't care who you are."
He said law enforcement generally has been trying to change perceptions and practices involving sexual assault victims, and in particular those victimized by human trafficking.
"I think we sent a big message today from this board for the state of California, that we are now going to mirror Only to be unmasked by his mum some of our other states that feel the same way. It's a national issue," Ramos said in an interview after the board's vote.
Jon Myers, the board's deputy executive officer, said the current rule was enacted in 1999 during an era when the state was generally getting tough on crime.
The American Civil Liberties Union and organizations representing sex trade workers asked for the regulation change.
Carol Leigh, a representative of the Bay Area Sex Workers Advocacy Network, said she was raped by two men who entered the massage parlor where she worked.
The men "took a knife to my throat and demanded sex and money," she told the board. "I realized that, as a sex worker, I was a sitting duck, that the system, basically, was set up so that I felt that I couldn't go to the police. ... The rapists know, and they see us as targets."
Kristen DiAngelo, who also identified herself as a sex worker, testified that she was raped, beaten, repeatedly choked, robbed and held captive overnight in downtown Sacramento in 1983.
"I was told that if I prosecuted this guy, by the police, that I would be the one going to go to jail," she said. "What happens when we have a regulation like this, it segregates us from the normal population. It makes us inhuman, non-helpable. You allow predators to hone their skills.
"These are hate crimes, and they need to be stopped," she added later.
Other victims sent written testimony that was read to the board or testified without identifying themselves because of the nature of the issue.
"This regulation says that prostitutes are asking for rape," testified Rachel West, a spokeswoman for the US PROStitutes Collective, which joined with the Erotic Services Providers Union in seeking its repeal. "It divides women into good and bad victims."
The board acted after hearing what Batjer and fellow board member Michael Ramos called passionate and compelling testimony from several sex workers who said they have been assaulted.
"They've been raped, abused, crimes committed against them," said Ramos, the district attorney in San Bernardino County. "They're victims. Nobody deserves to be raped, I don't care who you are."
He said law enforcement generally has been trying to change perceptions and practices involving sexual assault victims, and in particular those victimized by human trafficking.
"I think we sent a big message today from this board for the state of California, that we are now going to mirror Only to be unmasked by his mum some of our other states that feel the same way. It's a national issue," Ramos said in an interview after the board's vote.
Jon Myers, the board's deputy executive officer, said the current rule was enacted in 1999 during an era when the state was generally getting tough on crime.
The American Civil Liberties Union and organizations representing sex trade workers asked for the regulation change.
Carol Leigh, a representative of the Bay Area Sex Workers Advocacy Network, said she was raped by two men who entered the massage parlor where she worked.
The men "took a knife to my throat and demanded sex and money," she told the board. "I realized that, as a sex worker, I was a sitting duck, that the system, basically, was set up so that I felt that I couldn't go to the police. ... The rapists know, and they see us as targets."
Kristen DiAngelo, who also identified herself as a sex worker, testified that she was raped, beaten, repeatedly choked, robbed and held captive overnight in downtown Sacramento in 1983.
"I was told that if I prosecuted this guy, by the police, that I would be the one going to go to jail," she said. "What happens when we have a regulation like this, it segregates us from the normal population. It makes us inhuman, non-helpable. You allow predators to hone their skills.
"These are hate crimes, and they need to be stopped," she added later.
Other victims sent written testimony that was read to the board or testified without identifying themselves because of the nature of the issue.
"This regulation says that prostitutes are asking for rape," testified Rachel West, a spokeswoman for the US PROStitutes Collective, which joined with the Erotic Services Providers Union in seeking its repeal. "It divides women into good and bad victims."
Only to be unmasked by his mum
A false hero triggered a massive police alert claiming he was stabbed and robbed in a Cambridge park to get back with his girlfriend - but was unmasked by his mother.
Lovestruck Ashley Hills, 22, of Villa Road, Impington, called his partner claiming he was knifed three times and mugged for his phone by three men in Pulley Park, King’s Hedges.
She called 999 triggering a major alert. Paramedics and an air ambulance rushed to the scene and officers arrested three men nearby on suspicion of robbery.
But Hills had only suffered slight cuts to his stomach and refused medical treatment but continued with his claims.
He told sceptical officers he disarmed one of the ‘offenders’ despite him being much smaller than those he had described.
Hills only admitted making up the incident the next day after being challenged by his mother who noticed one of her kitchen knives was missing.
In total, five paramedics and 14 police officers attended the scene.
The three men arrested on suspicion of robbery were held for 25 hours after the ‘robbery’ on September 16 and later told they would face no further action.
Hills admitted perverting the course of justice and possession of a blade article and jailed for six months at Cambridge Crown Court on Tuesday.
Det Con Andrew McKeane said: “Hills’ fictitious claims resulted in a vast amount of police and ambulance time being consumed. We responded to such a serious report by putting a team of officers onto it straight away.
“Despite early reservations being raised due to his varying account, we had to continue investigating fully because, despite being given several opportunities, he refused to retract his statement. We are duty-bound to fully investigate such serious allegations in order to protect the public from harm.
“In total, three officers were tied up for a total of 57 hours carrying out enquiries, plus the time spent by a further 14 officers who attended the scene adding up to more than 100 hours of officer time which was completely wasted, not to mention that of paramedics who went to his aid.
“This sentence shows how seriously such incidents are taken and serve as a warning to others.”
A spokesman for the East of England Ambulance Service said: “We are pleased that Mr Hills has been held to account for his actions; along with our police colleagues, we sent a number of emergency vehicles to this incident including an ambulance, rapid response vehicle and the East Anglian Air Ambulance. This meant that these resources were then unavailable for patients with genuinely life-threatening conditions.
Lovestruck Ashley Hills, 22, of Villa Road, Impington, called his partner claiming he was knifed three times and mugged for his phone by three men in Pulley Park, King’s Hedges.
She called 999 triggering a major alert. Paramedics and an air ambulance rushed to the scene and officers arrested three men nearby on suspicion of robbery.
But Hills had only suffered slight cuts to his stomach and refused medical treatment but continued with his claims.
He told sceptical officers he disarmed one of the ‘offenders’ despite him being much smaller than those he had described.
Hills only admitted making up the incident the next day after being challenged by his mother who noticed one of her kitchen knives was missing.
In total, five paramedics and 14 police officers attended the scene.
The three men arrested on suspicion of robbery were held for 25 hours after the ‘robbery’ on September 16 and later told they would face no further action.
Hills admitted perverting the course of justice and possession of a blade article and jailed for six months at Cambridge Crown Court on Tuesday.
Det Con Andrew McKeane said: “Hills’ fictitious claims resulted in a vast amount of police and ambulance time being consumed. We responded to such a serious report by putting a team of officers onto it straight away.
“Despite early reservations being raised due to his varying account, we had to continue investigating fully because, despite being given several opportunities, he refused to retract his statement. We are duty-bound to fully investigate such serious allegations in order to protect the public from harm.
“In total, three officers were tied up for a total of 57 hours carrying out enquiries, plus the time spent by a further 14 officers who attended the scene adding up to more than 100 hours of officer time which was completely wasted, not to mention that of paramedics who went to his aid.
“This sentence shows how seriously such incidents are taken and serve as a warning to others.”
A spokesman for the East of England Ambulance Service said: “We are pleased that Mr Hills has been held to account for his actions; along with our police colleagues, we sent a number of emergency vehicles to this incident including an ambulance, rapid response vehicle and the East Anglian Air Ambulance. This meant that these resources were then unavailable for patients with genuinely life-threatening conditions.
2013年12月4日星期三
Cuban Television’s Self-Sabotage
When I was a teenager, I read Curzio Malaparte’s book Coup d’etat: On the Technique of Revolution. In it, this energetic and multifaceted Italian author (who had gone from being a fascist to a Marxist and had ultimately converted to Catholicism), advised all who aspired to stage a coup to make use of scientific breakthroughs and to involve experts practically in all strategies (what he called “Trotsky’s tactic”).
The media, Malaparte suggested, ought to be among the first things targeted by the coup.
According to Malaparte, any terroristic device – from a knife used to cut a telephone wire to a grenade launched at a radio relay station, could be useful in terms of taking State power.
Now that I think about it, Soviet literature dealing with the October revolution – one of the undeniable sources of inspiration of Curzio, who, next to George Sorel, is one of the most controversially virulent political thinkers of the 20th century – evoked images reminiscent of those in The Technique of Revolution.
One can well imagine what the Bolsheviks would have done with a television network, had one existed in the times of the bourgeois provisional government of the first Russian Republic.
The screen doesn’t lie: again and again, Cuban television broadcasts the color bars which signal a lack of signal. The sets do not make any noise, nor are they broken: the relay stations simply cease broadcasting and stagnate in an unchanging frame.
This can go on for hours. I’ve confirmed it personally, and seen it happen on several channels at once.
Some say it happens because digital television has been introduced into the country. This is the opinion of those who have installed provisional interfaces designed to receive such signals in an experimental fashion.
I haven’t installed any of that and still run into one of those screens every day.
I wonder if anyone on television or in the government cares one bit about such acts of self-sabotage.
As for me, I am reminded of my adolescence and of Curzio Malaparte’s brilliant book every time I see it.
The media, Malaparte suggested, ought to be among the first things targeted by the coup.
According to Malaparte, any terroristic device – from a knife used to cut a telephone wire to a grenade launched at a radio relay station, could be useful in terms of taking State power.
Now that I think about it, Soviet literature dealing with the October revolution – one of the undeniable sources of inspiration of Curzio, who, next to George Sorel, is one of the most controversially virulent political thinkers of the 20th century – evoked images reminiscent of those in The Technique of Revolution.
One can well imagine what the Bolsheviks would have done with a television network, had one existed in the times of the bourgeois provisional government of the first Russian Republic.
The screen doesn’t lie: again and again, Cuban television broadcasts the color bars which signal a lack of signal. The sets do not make any noise, nor are they broken: the relay stations simply cease broadcasting and stagnate in an unchanging frame.
This can go on for hours. I’ve confirmed it personally, and seen it happen on several channels at once.
Some say it happens because digital television has been introduced into the country. This is the opinion of those who have installed provisional interfaces designed to receive such signals in an experimental fashion.
I haven’t installed any of that and still run into one of those screens every day.
I wonder if anyone on television or in the government cares one bit about such acts of self-sabotage.
As for me, I am reminded of my adolescence and of Curzio Malaparte’s brilliant book every time I see it.
2013年12月2日星期一
A lot of the time they are carrying
"She (Bailey) saw that his eyes were open but they looked frozen."Mr Whittam said the men left the car.He went on: "The driver was carrying a cleaver in his hand. He knelt down by Lee Rigby and took hold of his hair. He then repeatedly hacked at the right side of his neck just below the jawline."Describing Ms Bailey's account, Mr Whittam told the jury: "As she put it, 'I was so shocked that all I could do was sit there and stare at what was happening. I couldn't believe what was going on. He was determined and he wasn't going to stop. He didn't care'."Another eyewitness, Greenwich Borough Council electrician Thomas Seymour, saw a man attack the neck of Fusilier Rigby. TPI acts as both a manufacturer Mr Whittam told the jury: "Mr Seymour 'instantly believed that he was trying to cut the victim's head off'."Another witness, Gary Perkins, described the defendant's actions as being "like a butcher attacking a joint of meat".The jury was shown further images of the two men dragging Fusilier Rigby's body into the road.More relatives of the soldier left the court in tears before the images were shown.The Donegal manager said the youth players were "on a knife edge" pinning their future on securing a professional contract.
He added that managing that pressure and their expectations was the biggest part of his role with the Scottish club."These are young players, they are very keen to get a professional contract. They are looking at fellas driving around in 100,000 cars and they want to be that person. They are on a knife edge."The club will take them through for X amount of years and then when they get to 18 they are looking at them thinking, 'will we keep them?'"You've come through the ranks and all of a sudden it all comes down to 18 or 24 months max."If you get an injury within that time frame that's two months gone out of your 24 months. People are making decisions on you, so there is a lot of pressure."McGuinness added that the problem was often exacerbated because the young players were also under pressure from their parents, who often invest everything in them achieving a contract with the cub."A lot of these kids don't have strong educational backgrounds and they are pinning their future on making it as a professional footballer," he told a health conference in Galway yesterday."
He added that managing that pressure and their expectations was the biggest part of his role with the Scottish club."These are young players, they are very keen to get a professional contract. They are looking at fellas driving around in 100,000 cars and they want to be that person. They are on a knife edge."The club will take them through for X amount of years and then when they get to 18 they are looking at them thinking, 'will we keep them?'"You've come through the ranks and all of a sudden it all comes down to 18 or 24 months max."If you get an injury within that time frame that's two months gone out of your 24 months. People are making decisions on you, so there is a lot of pressure."McGuinness added that the problem was often exacerbated because the young players were also under pressure from their parents, who often invest everything in them achieving a contract with the cub."A lot of these kids don't have strong educational backgrounds and they are pinning their future on making it as a professional footballer," he told a health conference in Galway yesterday."
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