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EMS- Paramedic is lone survivor of helicopter crash
BK-117 Helicopter Has History Of Problems
An accident involving a MedEvac chopper that lifted off shortly after midnight Friday has a history of problem, according to NewsChannel5.
A crash early Friday morning, involving a BK-117, left two people dead and another injured.
The MedEvac had lifted off from University Hospitals and was heading east to pick up a patient in medical distress, but seconds into the flight plunged to the ground exploding on impact. The pilot, William Spence, 51 and a nurse, Kelly Conti, 38, were killed.
A paramedic on board survived the crash. He is listed in fair condition.
WEWS reported that the BK-117 is the heavily favored model of helicopter among police and medical evacuation teams, even though it has a history of some problems.
In the past two years, a BK-117 went down in Houston, killing three people. Another one struck a radio tower in Tampa, killing all three aboard.
In the past 13 years, the BK-117 has been the subject of nearly two dozen FAA (news - web sites)-air worthiness directives, many of them resulting from crash investigations.
In the local case, the medic on board survived and may be able to provide some information helpful in pinpointing the cause of the crash.
Federal investigators have been on the scene all day.
WEWS said that only bits and pieces are left from the chopper, and there was no indication from the pilot that there was a problem at takeoff.
Officials are wondering what happened in those moments after takeoff when the chopper hit the side of Lerner Tower below the helipad.
"We're looking at records, maintenance records, operations, pilots' background ... weather, air-traffic control issues," Leah Yeager, a National Transportation and Safety Board investigator.
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FIRE- Money .vs Manpower
HOUSTON, TX
Wednesday February 06 02:22 PM EST
Mayor's Firefighter-Shortage Plan Heats Up
Mayor Lee Brown's firefighter-shortage plan is expected to take center stage Wednesday at City Hall.
Currently, some of the staff at the Houston Fire Department is being paid from the city's water-and-sewage budget.
Brown said that his plan is the only way to obey the law, which states that four firefighters must be an the scene before they can enter a home or building.
Brown implemented the plan in October, following the death of HFD Capt. Jay Jahnke.
Jahnke, 40, lost his life while helping to rescue an apartment resident in a six-alarm high-rise fire at the Four Leaf Towers, 5100 San Felipe, in the Galleria area. The resident, Charlie Dill, was also killed in the blaze.
The mayor's plan put four instead of three firefighters on a truck.
The mayor wants to fund the plan by using the Any Lawful Purpose Fund, which basically means excess money from one city account can be used for another, which in this case is $15 million coming from the water-and-sewage account.
The money will help Brown reach into the city's overtime fund to increase staffing with 129 extra firefighters on duty each day, and shift 180 paramedics from ambulances and put to firetrucks.
However, a few City Council members are criticizing the mayor's plan, calling it a temporary fix and a misuse of utility money.
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POLICE- Off duty jailer killed with own gun
Wednesday February 06 08:15 AM EST
Off-duty jail officer dies in motel scuffle
By Eric Ferkenhoff and Rick Hepp
A longtime Cook County corrections officer was shot and killed with his own gun early Tuesday while trying to break up a fight between his girlfriend and two men outside a West Side motel.
The officer, Frank E. Robins, 55, was shot in his abdomen and groin and died in the parking lot of the Grand Motel West, 4925 W. Madison St., in the Austin neighborhood.
One of the assailants, a 27-year-old man with a history of drug arrests, was shot and wounded in the scuffle but was able to drive himself to a hospital for treatment, said police spokesman Pat Camden.
That man was under police guard and listed in fair condition at Cook County Hospital, where he was being treated for a single gunshot wound to the leg. Police also recovered the car he used to drive to the hospital, but he has not yet been charged.
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POLICE - Murder or mercy killing??
Wednesday February 06 07:22 PM EST CINCINNATI
Was Hospital Shooting A Mercy Killing?
A woman is accused of shooting and killing her father in his hospital bed Tuesday evening.
Vicki Glick, 51, of Pierce Township, is charged with aggravated murder in the death of Robert L. Price, 75, of Loveland, WLWT Eyewitness News 5's Brian Hamrick reported.
Glick reportedly went to Mercy Anderson Hospital in Anderson Township as a visitor just before 7 p.m. She entered the second-floor room in which her father was a patient and shot him several times, police said.
A nurse reportedly witnessed part of the shooting, according to hospital President Patti Schroer.
"She did observe the final shot, (she) requested that the suspect drop the gun, (and) the suspect did so," Schroer said at an afternoon press conference.
Hospital security officers and sheriff's deputies took Glick into custody in the hospital a short time later without incident, WLWT reported.
Doctors attempted to save Price, but his injuries were too severe, Hamrick reported.
No other patients, visitors or members of the hospital's staff were injured during the shooting, WLWT reported.
Glick was taken to the Hamilton County Justice Center. She was arraigned Wednesday morning.
Glick's attorney, Pete Rosenwald, said that Glick should not have been charged with a capital offense.
"She is charged, as I understand it, with prior calculation and design, but that doesn't make it a capital case," Rosenwald said. "There has to be either an underlying felony or there special circumstances, and I'm not aware of anything right now that says it would be a capital case."
Hamrick reported that the victim's family claimed that he was terminally ill, but hospital officials said that he wasn't.
Hospital officials plan to investigate whether future incidents can be prevented..
"We're going to re-evaluate our process and see if there are things that need to be changed or enhanced," Schroer said.
WLWT Eyewitness News 5 and ChannelCincinnati.com will continue to update this story as additional information becomes available.
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FIRE- Firefighter charged in training death
By KEN LITTLE
Observer-Dispatch
UTICA — A former Lairdsville Fire Department officer is charged with second-degree manslaughter for setting a fire in a training exercise last year that burned out of control and killed a 19-year-old trainee, authorities said.
Alan G. Baird III, 30, of West South Street, Westmoreland, recklessly caused Bradley Golden’s death last Sept. 25 in Westmoreland by igniting a fire in the abandoned building at 7355 Route 5 where the drill took place, according to an Oneida County grand jury indictment unsealed Wednesday.
Golden, of McQuade Avenue, Clinton, was on the second floor of the wood-frame structure and died of asphyxia due to smoke inhalation. Court papers state that Baird ignited a mattress and sleeper sofa as part of the “live burn” exercise, causing smoke and flames to quickly spread through the wood-frame structure.
Two other Lairdsville firefighters on the second floor, Adam Croman, 21, and Benjamin Morris, 19, suffered serious burns and continue to recuperate from their injuries.
“As a concept, the entire exercise was greatly flawed and put human life at risk,” First Assistant District Attorney Michael Coluzza said.
Baird served as first assistant chief of the Lairdsville Fire Department and failed to use adequate safeguards, Coluzza said. Baird was ranking officer at the scene, he said.
“There should never be a situation where an uncontrolled fire is set in the scope of training exercises,” Coluzza said.
Baird pleaded not guilty Wednesday in Oneida County Court to the manslaughter charge and a count of second-degree assault. Judge Michael L. Dwyer set a return court date of Feb. 19 and bail of $10,000.
Baird family members were visibly upset in Oneida County Court as they awaited the arraignment. Alan Baird II, the defendant’s father, said his son was asked to resign from the fire company Tuesday night by Westmoreland Fire District commissioners.
“He asked for their support last night and they asked him to resign,” Baird said. “He poured out his heart for them and they threw him to the wolves.”
District Attorney Michael A. Arcuri said the 4»-month investigation is complete and no charges will be filed against anyone else.
“It was clear from the evidence that he was in charge of it,” Arcuri said of Baird.
Baird’s lawyer Robert P. Moran Jr. said Wednesday no criminal charges should have been filed in the case.
“The death and injuries of the other firefighters is definitely a tragedy and I think the prosecution is definitely a tragedy. It serves no purpose,” Moran said after Baird’s arraignment.
Moran said Baird, a 12-year volunteer firefighter, was not in charge at the scene of the training accident.
“He was the individual instructed to light the fire. There were other higher-ups there,” Moran said. “I don’t know if it’s the state’s fault or anybody’s fault. It’s an activity that is dangerous.”
Lairdsville was taken out of service after the training accident. The volunteer company is now operational as Westmoreland Station No. 2.
“We’re working with the agencies to look not only at that incident but look at all our operating procedures,” said Robert Walsh, Westmoreland first assistant chief and safety officer.
Walsh or Westmoreland Chief James Kimball would not comment Wednesday on the criminal charges against Baird.
“We knew there was probably going to be some charges. The intensity of it was more of a surprise,” Kimball said.
Arcuri said a painstaking investigation was conducted before the case went to the grand jury.
“It was one of the most extensive investigations that this office ever conducted,” he said.
Participating were the Oneida County Sheriff’s Department, New York State Office of Fire Prevention and the district attorney’s office.
Baird gave three statements to Oneida County Sheriff’s Department investigators in the week following Golden’s death and voluntarily appeared before a grand jury last week, it was noted at his arraignment.
Golden, Morris and Croman were all wearing oxygen masks during the training exercise, which included members of the Lairdsville, Westmoreland and Lowell fire departments.
Golden had been with the fire company about one month and was a provisional member. Croman, son of former Lairdsville Fire Chief Lance Croman, jumped from the second floor of the burning structure. Morris was pulled from the second-floor area by firefighters.
“We’re talking about a very hot fire that raged out of control. They should never have been there in the first place,” Coluzza said.
Baird faces a maximum prison term of 5 to 15 years if convicted on the second-degree manslaughter charge.
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POLICE- Loafing cops reassigned
Tuesday February 05 08:03 AM EST
10 cops at DIA reassigned
By Brian D. Crecente, News Staff Writer
Denver's former police chief and nine of the officers he supervised at Denver International Airport were reassigned Monday after an undercover television investigation that showed the officers loafing on the job.
Denver Police Chief Gerry Whitman said the reassignments were just the beginning of an internal affairs investigation that could last a month and will examine airport security records, videotapes and police paperwork.
The shake-up comes after a News4 two-month investigation that used a hidden camera to show officers spending a seemingly inordinate amount of time in a lounge used by airport paramedics. The lounge, which has only one way in and out, is equipped with a television, beds, a sofa and chairs.
Saturday February 02 08:03 AM EST
Cops under fire for breaks
By John C. Ensslin, News Staff Writer
The Denver Police Department has launched an internal affairs investigation into allegations that several officers took excessive breaks inside a room at Denver International Airport.
The investigation comes in response to a story aired Thursday on News4 that showed officers disappearing behind the doors of a room they share at the airport with Denver paramedics.
The room contains cots for patients, a few desks, battery rechargers for police radios and a storage area for police reports.
The Police Department plans to vacate the room and relocate in an area that will be more visible.
Ten internal affairs investigators spent Friday interviewing officers and paramedics at the airport.
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FIRE- Firefighters injured in crash
HOUSTON
Thursday February 07 10:39 AM EST
Firefighters Injured In Crash
Two firefighters and at least one motorist were injured Thursday morning, after a fire truck collided with a car.
The accident happened shortly before 6:30 a.m. Thursday near the intersection of Silber Road and Westview in northwest Houston.
NewsChopper2, hovering over the scene, showed that power lines had fallen onto the fire truck, making it temporarily difficult for rescuers to get to the injured firefighters.
Reliant HL&P workers arrived at the scene, turning the power off.
Paramedics rushed the two injured firefighters to Memorial Hermann Hospital.
Information on the car's driver was not yet available.
If you witness a traffic problem, call Tonya's Traffic Hotline at (713) 778-4886.
For more information on this breaking story, stay tuned to News2Houston and Click2Houston.com
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FIRE - 2.1 Million Toasters Recalled
Thursday February 7, 8:13 am Eastern Time
2.1 Million Black & Decker Toasters Recalled Because of Fire Hazard
WASHINGTON (AP) -- About 2.1 million Black & Decker toasters are being recalled because they can fail to shut off and could start fires.
Applica Consumer Products Inc., of Miami Lakes, Fla., which made and sold the toasters under the Black & Decker brand, knows of nine reports of the toasters starting fires and causing minor damage to kitchen cabinets, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said Thursday.
The recall includes both two-slice and four-slice VersaToast wide-slot toasters. Writing on the side of the toaster includes: ``BLACK & DECKER,'' ``VersaToast'' and ``WIDE SLOT.''
The toasters, which come in white or black plastic, have model number T1200, T1250, T1400 or T1450 written on the bottom.
Stores including Wal-Mart, Kohl's Department Stores and Bradlees sold the toasters nationwide from June 1999 through January 2002. The toasters sold for between $10 and $30.
The government said consumers should unplug the toasters. For information on receiving a refund, consumers can call Applica Consumer Products toll-free at 1-866-264-9230.
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FIRE - Seven hurt in Akron fire
Thursday February 07 08:37 AM EST
By Beacon Journal staff report
Two Akron firefighters and five residents were injured during a fire yesterday at a five-unit apartment complex in the 400 block of Perkins Street.
The complex and its contents sustained about $40,000 in damage, according to the Akron Fire Department. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Firefighter Gus Fortune, 30, was treated at Akron General Medical Center for a neck injury, and Fire District Chief Mike Bogner, 59, injured his right knee but did not leave duty.
Resident Molly Tanner, 37, was taken to Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron for facial burns and smoke inhalation. Tanner was in fair condition yesterday, according to a hospital spokesperson.
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EMS - Ambulance driver in the hot seat
Tuesday February 05 12:39 PM EST
Unlicensed Ambulance Driver Couldn't Help
Target 5 investigates the death of woman who might have lived if her ambulance driver had been trained properly.
The following is a transcript of Jesse Jones' report, shown exactly the way it appeared on WLWT Eyewitness News 5 at 11 p.m., Feb. 4, 2002.
Anchor: A Target 5 investigation tonight into the death of a grandmother who died of a heart attack in a Medic One wheelchair van. Why did the driver not perform CPR? Investigative reporter Jesse Jones now with the tragic story of panic and a lack of equipment.
Jones: All Sarah Richardson wanted was to go home. She was taken by wheelchair van -- or as insiders call them, ambulettes. During the trip, she went into cardiac arrest, and what happened next may have cost Mrs. Richardson a second chance at life.
Jones: This is a story of business and helplessness.
911 caller: We have a woman with no pulse
Jones: And how five minutes of confusion and a lack of equipment during an emergency, may have cost this grandmother a second chance at life.
Henry Dawkins (ambulette driver): I just sat there and literally watched her die.
Jones: That woman was Sarah Richardson.
Andrew Richardson (Sarah Richardson's son): She was a wonderful person. A lovely person
Jones: Last September, Sarah's son Andrew was building an addition to his house so Mrs. Richardson could stay with the family. She'd return from Cincinnati's oak pavilion nursing home by way of Medic One ambulette.
Richardson: She said she wanted to go home. She was kind of mad at me because she said I was holding her in there.
Jones: But Mrs. Richardson would never make it out of the parking lot alive. She would fall while being loaded into the ambulette, suffer a sudden heart attack and die. Adding to the tragedy, the driver says he did not give Mrs. Richardson CPR.
Richardson: I think that's horrible. They never gave her a chance.
Dawkins: I looked at her said her name and she didn't respond back. And I went over and checked her pulse and she had a very weak pulse and the next thing you know it just stopped.
Jones: Former Medic One employee Henry Dawkins was Mrs. Richardson's driver. The 19-year-old says he desperately tried to help the grandmother of five, whose mouth was filling with fluid. Dawkins worried about contamination. He quickly looked into the first aid kit and found nothing that would help the situation.
Dawkins: There was nothing in there period to start CPR. At all. Period. There was nothing in there but bandages. That's it.
Jones: Medic One management says there was no pocket mask in the kit. It prevents the transfer of fluids from victim to care giver. The pocket mask is not required by law, but Cincinnati fire union president Lt. Mark Sanders believes it should have been available to Dawkins.
Sanders: It's my opinion that they should have the basic equipment to do this and start CPR.
Jones: Back to the incident, and two more problems for Dawkins. He was alone. He couldn't turn Mrs. Richardson over. She outweighed him by almost 150 pounds. And there was nothing in the first aid kit that would help the situation.
Dawkins: I had no device to get rid of the fluid as far as suction and I couldn't flip her over. I was in there by myself. It was just me and her.
Jones: A nursing home employee would then call 911.
911 caller: We have someone with no pulse.
911 dispatcher: Is someone giving CPR?
911 caller: I don't know.
Jones: Oak Pavilion management, in a written statement, says its employees tried to assist. Dawkins strongly disagrees.
Jones: So basically, no one gave her CPR?
Dawkins: No. The only thing she got was chest compressions, and that was from me. That was it.
Jones: That claim is backed by Lt. Sanders. He interviewed the paramedics who tried to save Mrs. Richardson's life.
Jones to Sanders: Was CPR being given to Sarah Richardson when they arrived?
Sanders: No.
Sharon Richardson (granddaughter of Sarah Richardson): It's not like it stopped her from dying. It just means they could have done something. I just don't understand why they didn't.
Jones: All Medic One did have in the vehicle was the city required first aid kit, and that just includes bandages and scissors. City law also mandates an oxygen tank. Dawkins says one wasn't on board, and Medic One management cannot confirm one was on board that vehicle.
Dawkins: In the EMT field, you see people die all the time, but you do what you can because you have the equipment to do it. I just sat there and just watched her die helplessly.
Jones: Medic One management, in a written response, says they will not comment any further because of patient confidentiality. Target 5 has also learned that Dawkins shouldn't have been working for any city ambulette company in the first place. Cincinnati police confirm that dawkins did not have an handicapped livery license -- or HLV -- a requirement of every city ambulette driver. To get the license he would have to prove that he had life saving skills before he could transport patients.
Jones: No license whatsoever?
Dawkins: No.
Jones: No HLV?
Dawkins: No.
Jones: No EMT?
Dawkins: No.
Jones: And you were making runs
Dawkins: Yep.
Jones: Management knew this?
Dawkins: Yep.
Jones: And did nothing.
Dawkins: Nothing.
Jones: The president of Medic One tells target five that he would not knowingly employ anyone without proper licensing. As a result of our investigation, the company has expanded training for its drivers. Equipment has also been added which exceeds government requirements. Finally, Medic One has invited us to inspect its facilities and vehicles. We will. Tuesday night. We will take a look at another tragic death allegedly connected to Medic One. It's a case that's reached lawmakers in Columbus.
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POLICE- CCTV Facial recognition nabs suspect
POLICE USE FACIAL RECOGNITION TO COLLAR SUSPECTS CAUGHT ON CCTV.
Copyright 2002 VNU
Network News...02/06/2002
Essex Police is involved in testing facial recognition software that will match photofits of criminals to images of suspects picked up by CCTV cameras.
The system will take images from cameras, artists' sketches and e-fits and try to match them up with a database of over 160,000 images.
Run in conjunction with Securicor Information Systems and US biometrics firm, Visionics, the Essex force is using a system based on Visionics' FaceIt facial recognition software.
"We have been installing our technology on Essex Police systems for a few months now and the trial will run for three months," said Tim Pidgeon, director of business development at Visionics UK. "We are very confident indeed that it will extend beyond this period."
The Visionics engine will integrate with the existing photo database, provided by Securicor.
"We have been using Securicor's Video Witness for some time," said Detective Sergeant Steve Jones from Essex Police divisional HQ. "Biometrics is an exciting new technology, and I'm hopeful this system will prove its time has come."
Whether its time has come for the network manager remains to be seen.
There is still plenty of scepticism over the price and accuracy of biometric security.
Pidgeon, however, was adamant the technology would take off now the basic infrastructure was in place. "PCs come equipped with cameras, as do many laptops, and as will new 3G phones," he said.
The technology works on an algorithm known as local feature analysis.
It maps 20 points on the human face to generate a facial scan as reliable as a fingerprint.
"The technology works exactly like a search engine," said Pidgeon. "After the search, the top matches will be returned and it is then down to the human operator to make the final decision."
He added that many Visionics customers used the technology for network logins.
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NOTICE OF FIREFIGHTER FATALITY
The U.S. Fire Administration has received notice of the following firefighter fatality:
Name: Lewis A. Rickards
Rank: President
Age: 55
Status: Volunteer
Years of Service: 39
Date of Incident: 02/03/2002
Time of Incident: 1030hrs
Date of Death: 02/03/2002
Fire Department: Lewes Fire Department, Inc.
Fire Department Address: PO 225 Lewes, DE 19958
Fire Department Phone: (302) 645-6556
Fire Department Chief: Gordon Davis
Cause of Death: Killed in a motor vehicle accident while enroute to an executive committee meeting of the Delmarva Volunteer Fireman's Association.
Funeral: Pending
Memorial Fund: Pending
Tribute is being paid to President Rickards at:
http://www.usfa.fema.gov/ffmem/
Additional information on firefighter fatalities may be found on the USFA web site at:
http://www.usfa.fema.gov/nfdc/ff_casualties.htm
To date, 5 firefighter fatalities have been reported to USFA in 2002.
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NOTICE TO ALL POSTERS
The board is going to be changed from Law Enforcement Related Discussion to "THE PUBLIC SAFETY FORUM". This is a move include Police, Fire and EMS topics. Please invite your public safety friends to join and participate. As always we welcome all to particpate. Paramedic or predator, Cop or criminal, Fireman or flirt.
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NEWS- Police chase could mean life sentence
Conviction Stemming From Police Chase Could Mean Life Sentence
02/06/2002
SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) - Prosecutors say they'll seek a life sentence for a man who led police on a dangerous, two-city chase after shoplifting $20 worth of soap and Alka-Seltzer.
At the conclusion of a two-day bench trial Tuesday, state District Judge John Mosely found Noble Elias Bates of Frierson guilty of aggravated criminal damage to property and aggravated flight from an officer.
Assistant District Attorney Eddie Brossette said he plans to file a bill next Monday charging Bates as a habitual offender, which could result in a life sentence.
Bates, 51, shoplifted from a Kroger store in Bossier City the night of July 20, 2000. Bossier City police Officer Sam Wyatt was working security and tried to stop Bates. Bates scuffled with Wyatt and tried to disarm him. He then managed to flee to his car and nearly ran the officer over as he sped off toward Shreveport.
Bates rammed a Shreveport patrol car during the chase, forcing it into a pole and injuring officers Denver Ramsey and Kevin Anderson. Officers testified during the trial that Bates drove recklessly and may have hit speeds as high as 75 mph in areas with 25 mph speed limits.
A Shreveport officer fired three shots at Bates' car to stop the chase, hitting Bates once in the left leg. Bates got out and ran a short distance before officers caught him. They found a crack pipe in Bates' pocket.
Bates pleaded not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity last month.
He testified Tuesday that he sustained several head injuries growing up, was exposed to Agent Orange as an infantry soldier in Vietnam and takes medication for mental illness. He has been in the mental health section of Caddo Correctional Center since his arrest.
Bates testified he remembers "running for my life," the day of the shoplifting and thinking someone was trying to kill him. His mind at some point flashed back to combat, he said.
In finding Bates guilty, Mosely said two doctors testified that Bates was aware of his actions, based in part on his detailed memory of the events, concealing grocery items in his clothes, eluding police, operating a car and the length of the chase.
Brossette described Bates as "someone who hasn't learned his lesson," listing a string of prior convictions dating back to 1974.
The judge made note of Bates' lengthy record, which included "so many arrests for theft that I stopped counting after at least five." At the time of Bates' arrest, Shreveport police said Bates had been arrested 63 times and had been convicted of 23 crimes, ranging from misdemeanor and felony theft to narcotics and traffic violations.
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NEWS- Police Officers charged in racing death
02/06/2002
DETROIT (AP) - Six men, including four Lincoln Park police officers, have been charged in connection with a drag racing death late last year.
Aaron Reynolds, 34, of Detroit, and Mustapha Mohammed Atat, 30, of River Rogue, are charged with second degree murder. They are also charged with failure to stop at the scene of a serious personal injury accident, two counts of felonious driving and drag racing.
Officers William Kish III, Joseph Lavis, Douglas Muncey and Mohammed Nasser are charged with willful neglect of duty and willful failure to uphold or enforce the law. They are also charged with drag racing.
"We've got videos of (the officers) sitting there. You can see them in their car," Wayne County Prosecutor's Office spokeswoman Rebecca Tenorio told The Detroit News for a story Wednesday.
Witnesses said the officers played music over a police car loudspeaker and encouraged the race, which was in Detroit near the Lincoln Park border.
State law prohibits officers from crossing city borders to enforce misdemeanors. But Wayne County Prosecutor Michael Duggan said the officers could have radioed their supervisors and the Detroit police to tell them about the race.
"For police officers to stand by and watch, to me, is unbelievable," Duggan told The Detroit Free Press for a story Wednesday.
Denise Jones, 35, died after she was hit by one of the two cars involved in the Oct. 8 race. Two other pedestrians also were injured.
Prosecutors said that during the race, Reynolds and Atat reached speeds of more than 100 mph in a 35 mph zone. Reynolds lost control of his vehicle, traveled across a sidewalk and struck Jones and the two other people, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Jones, of Detroit, was taken to Detroit Receiving Hospital where she was pronounced dead. Eric Draw, 35, of Detroit, suffered a broken pelvis, and Rodney Ricks, 32, of Detroit, suffered a shattered ankle.
If convicted of second degree murder, Reynolds and Atat could face up to life in prison.
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You gotta love it...
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Well ya see, the Taiwan deal is having a slight problem
because nobody at SEVU spoke Taiwaneese. This contract was left in the hands of a man in the Cayman Islands who claimed he knew everything about everything, including government contacts in Taiwan and how to prevent terrorism in the U.S.. SEVU mistakenly put faith in this Danny Devito look alike and believed the Taiwan deal was done until Devito instigated a war between mainland China and Taiwan. Unknown to SEVU, Devito was secretly selling missiles to Taiwan in an "Arms for lightbulbs" scandal. The missles actually turned out to be the sea-view 150's and the US military was involved. The entire scandal unfolded when U.S. intelligence sources discovered that Devito was not an american citizen and in violation of the SALT-II treaty.
Larry Hoffman, who had direct knowledge of the arms for lightbulbs scandal, was subpoenaed by congress. During congressional hearings Hoffman admitted he diverted funds from Enron to finance the arms for lightbulbs transactions and sub'ed seaview 150's for the real stinger missles, which were diverted to Ollie North and Freedom Fighters in Central America. Hoffman put the blame on Ollie North and Hoffman has since gone into hiding, using secureview cameras to provide external secutiry around his house.
In his last public statement, Hoffman criticized North's $15,000 security system and Hoffman bragged about his secureview cameras that were 1/50th the price of North's security system. Devito was never caught although he is still believed to be hidden in the Cayman Islands in a stolen boat.
Any more questions?
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My Doc asked me if I drank,
I told him white wine. He said in his heavy greek accent. "No, you no drinka da white wine, you drinka da red wine". He went on to explain that there is nothing beneficial from white wine and if you must drink, drink red wine.
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As they say, police work is 9 hours and
57 minutes of boredom, and 3 minutes of terror a day. Keeps the blood pumping.
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I don't think I qualify as an "old timer"
but I did see this news article about longevity that "old timers" would be interested in...
http://ksat-tvhealth.ip2m.com/index.cfm?PageType=ArticleItem&Action=ShowItem&Item_ID=6438&am...
Oldest man, 111, reveals his secrets
Rx for old age: Wine, pasta and genes
February 1, 2002 12:53 PM
If you want to live more than 100 years, take a cue from Antonio Todde, who attributed reaching the age of 111 to a healthful Mediterranean diet. Coming from a family in which many of his close relatives made it to their 90s helps, too.
Todde lived his entire life in a remote village on the Italian island of Sardinia. His diet consisted mostly of pasta and soup and each day he has some pork or lamb and a glass-and-a-half of red wine. He also got plenty of exercise in a shepherd's family, leading the sheep to pastures along steep mountain paths. For 65 years, he only traveled by foot or horseback. A feature from the London Sunday Times tells how Todde was discovered to be the world's oldest man.
A second report from The Times' weekday edition supports the idea that a little wine every day can help us age gracefully. Previous research has supported claims that moderate alcohol intake reduces the risk of heart disease. But studies at the London Institute of Psychiatry suggest that modest drinking also keeps the mind sharp as we age. Just don't overdo it. Health experts emphasize that moderate drinking means no more than two drinks a day.
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Rx for old age: Wine, pasta and genes
Oldest man, 111, reveals his secrets
February 1, 2002 12:53 PM
If you want to live more than 100 years, take a cue from Antonio Todde, who attributed reaching the age of 111 to a healthful Mediterranean diet. Coming from a family in which many of his close relatives made it to their 90s helps, too.
Todde lived his entire life in a remote village on the Italian island of Sardinia. His diet consisted mostly of pasta and soup and each day he has some pork or lamb and a glass-and-a-half of red wine. He also got plenty of exercise in a shepherd's family, leading the sheep to pastures along steep mountain paths. For 65 years, he only traveled by foot or horseback. A feature from the London Sunday Times tells how Todde was discovered to be the world's oldest man.
A second report from The Times' weekday edition supports the idea that a little wine every day can help us age gracefully. Previous research has supported claims that moderate alcohol intake reduces the risk of heart disease. But studies at the London Institute of Psychiatry suggest that modest drinking also keeps the mind sharp as we age. Just don't overdo it. Health experts emphasize that moderate drinking means no more than two drinks a day.
Copyright © 2000 Rx Remedy, Inc.
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The .40 is one of the most deadly handgun
bullets, and to be shot more than once in the head and face? The wounds must have been superficial "grazing" wounds or the bad guy would have never gotten off the floor.
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NEWS- You gotta read this one....
Wednesday February 06 11:39 AM EST
Deputy in Trouble for Fake Poop Prank
By ABCNEWS.com
P R O V I D E N C E, R.I. — The you-know-what has hit the fan for Deputy Sheriff Gabriel Bruno, who finds himself facing felony charges after an apparent practical joke involving fake feces.
Bruno will be on court on Friday for a pretrial conference on charges of vandalism. The 21-year department veteran has been suspended with pay, said Providence County Sheriff Anthony Phillips. Bruno's trial is scheduled to start on Feb. 22.
"We felt that it was best to move as quickly as possible," Phillips said.
Bruno admitted to the Providence Journal that he twice put what he says was fake poop in judges' chambers, in December and again in January.
"It was a joke that went bad. Everybody thought it was funny except the big boss, Judge Rodgers," Bruno told the paper, referring to Presiding Justice Joseph F. Rodgers Jr. of Superior Court.
"Now it looks like I'm some kind of maniac defecating in judges' sinks," he said.
The joke was a reference to an earlier problem with Judge Joseph Keough Sr.'s toilet.
Bruno wanted to make light of the incident by putting a Christmas stocking filled with "deer pellets" that he had purchased from a novelty shop on the back of Judge Stephen Nugent's toilet. Bruno said he then put fake poop in Keough's sink.
Rogers apparently did not find the incident amusing. Thinking an intruder had somehow entered the judicial chambers, he called state police.
Bruno insisted to the Journal that he 'fessed up immediately to the prank. The judge and Phillips said he denied responsibility in a sworn affidavit, which made it a criminal matter.
"Had Mr. Bruno acknowledged this activity earlier on," Rodgers told the Journal , "I am sure it could have been resolved — certainly without the time, expense and energy that was required because he had denied it."
"Maybe it was stupid. Maybe it was the wrong type of joke," Bruno said. "But it wasn't criminal. I didn't want to hurt anybody, and everybody knows that, except a couple of guys, obviously.
"I've got kids and grandchildren. If you want to call me a thief that's one thing, but to say I defecated in sinks — that's something else."
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I have a "MDT" in my car
which is a mobile data terminal. With it you are able to send messages to other units, check vehicle registrations, wanted persons, etc. It operates on CDPD which is cellular digital packet dispersal. They are very distracting. I have internet and email in the PD unit on the MDT. As a matter of fact, this message I am sending... right now.. emm.. er...
nevermind. What I meant to say is I am hard at work catching bad guys.
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In light of the Rodney King incident,
and the investigation at WTO, I propose a 7 day waiting period on the purchase of all video cameras.
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NEWS- 4 INJURED IN POLICE CAR CRASH
Wednesday February 06 10:22 AM EST
SAN ANTONIO, TX
Four people, including a pregnant woman and a young child, were injured Tuesday night after a police cruiser broadsided the car they were riding in.
According to investigators at the scene, the officer was responding to a non-emergency call at 9 p.m. when he apparently looked down at his video screen, ran a stop sign and collided with a car at the intersection of Ruiz and 26th Street.
Injured in the car was a five-month pregnant woman, a 3-year-old child who was riding in a car seat, and the driver. The police officer was also hurt. All four were transported to University Hospital in stable condition.
The officer is a three-year police veteran who is assigned to the West substation.
An investigation into the wreck will continue.
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Shao, have any links to a good outdoor patio
wood table? How about a round style picnic table?
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Bill, go drive by the corner
of Tyrone and Park Street and check out the parking lot system being developed and tested at Wal-mart. While you are at it, look across the street and you will see another SEVU product being developed in the parking lot of Targets. Doesn't look like a light bulb does it? Nor does it look like the 150's. Looks like very professional video security equipment.
Still think SEVU is a scam? They are being tested by two MAJOR retailers and that is nothing to shake a stick at.
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NEWS- Police kill driver who tried to run them down
MULTIPLE COP SHOTS DOWNED DRIVER
2002 Sun Media Corporation
The Toronto Sun...02/04/2002
A 29-year-old Toronto man died of multiple gunshot wounds after he tried to run down a cop, a preliminary autopsy yesterday shows.
The dead man, whose name hasn't been released, was shot a number of times as he drove a stolen Jeep Grand Cherokee into Const.
Paul Lentsch at Bloor and Havelock Sts., near Dufferin St., around 9:10 p.m. Friday.
Lentsch and partner Const. Bob Grewal opened fire, striking the man. A second man, a passenger, was arrested.
STOLEN JEEP
The man was taken to St. Michael's Hospital where he laterdied. Lentsch was treated for minor injuries suffered when he was struck and Grewal, with six months service, was treated for shock.
Special Investigations Unit spokesman Rose Hong said one officer has been designated as the subject officer, whose actions are under scrutiny.
The officers were following the stolen Jeep and then got out of their cruiser after the vehicle drove the wrong way for a short distance on Havelock.
The SUV turned around and both officers, who were on foot with guns drawn, ordered the driver to get out of the truck.
The vehicle reversed, but was boxed in by another cruiser, and then moved toward the officers.
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NEWS- Police were reckless inshooting, says former cop
2002 Taranaki Newspapers Limited
The Daily News (New Plymouth)...02/05/2002
CONSTABLE A did not need to shoot Steven Wallace four times, a former police officer told a New Plymouth District Court depositions hearing yesterday.
He could have backed off after firing two shots, Dennis Pennefather said.
The 55-year-old is the second former police sergeant called by the prosecution, which is pursuing a private murder charge against Constable A, to criticise the officer's actions.
Mr Pennefather, who perfed from the police force in 1992 after 25 years, said the constable was an expert marksman and would have known the first two shots he fired had hit Mr Wallace.
A baseball bat was only a danger at close proximity and the constable should have withdrawn to observe the effects of those shots, said Mr Pennefather, of central Hawke's Bay.
Instead Constable A fired another two, and that could not constitute anything but "excessive force".
Bearing in mind there was dispute about where exactly Constable A was standing, he had about 7m behind him in which to manoeuvre -- 2.68m to the gutter and behind that 3.8m of footpath, Mr Pennefather said in reply to questions from prosecutor John Rowan, QC.
"He has plenty of room to move out at an angle, all be it . . . quite swiftly . . . He was not trapped."
He went on to say that the constable had other alternatives to shooting in the first place and "I don't believe the right decision at that time was to shoot Mr Wallace."
Constable A shot Mr Wallace (23) as he advanced with a baseball bat in Waitara's McLean St just after 4am on April 30, 2000.
A police investigation, reviewed by the Solicitor-General, found the constable had been acting in self defence. However, Mr Wallace's family has never accepted those findings.
The private murder prosecution, laid by Mr Wallace's father, is the first against a New Zealand police officer.
In his own police career, Mr Pennefather said, he had been recognised as having a certain ability in dealing with violent people, and had disarmed five armed, violent offenders.
Mr Pennefather said the officers should not have confronted Mr Wallace. It was a situation of contain and control and to make sure the necessary specialist staff were on the way.
The officers were reckless in approaching Mr Wallace, in the lack of a definite plan and in not advising Constable Gillian Herbert, who was stationed in a police car on McLean St, of what might occur and what she might be called upon to do, he said.
Mr Pennefather's evidence took up the entire day yesterday, and at numerous stages he was directed by the JPs to keep his answers to the point.
In cross-examination by Constable's A lawyer, Susan Hughes, she said the evidence was "perfectly plain" that the constable shot Mr Wallace in self defence.
"Yes, it is plain, but it does not take in the validity of the fear," nor that of police officer's confrontational approach, the witness said. Mr Pennefather agreed that at the time the constable fired his gun, Mr Wallace was intent on injuring him.
Ms Hughes asked what evidence there was to prove that Steven Wallace was about to give up his advance on Constable A.
Mr Pennefather said it was a possibility.
Ms Hughes said that by continuing to advance after the firing of a warning shot, Mr Wallace showed a hardened resolve and was in control of his own destiny in choosing to continue to advance.
Mr Pennefather replied that Mr Wallace was only in control of 50% of circumstances, the rest was in the control of police.
Ms Hughes questioned Mr Pennefather about his 17-year campaign against a police decision to release to a man a report he had written about him.
He agreed the complaint had been dismissed by the Commissioner of Police, the Minister of Police, the Police Complaints Authority and the Privacy Commissioner and that he had recently asked for compensation.
Mr Pennefather said it was matter of principle and an unresolved issue.
He said he was approached by the prosecution to give evidence after appearing in a television documentary criticising the shooting.
The 12th day of the expected three-week long hearing resumes at 10am today. The court will be sitting tomorrow, on Waitangi Day.
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NEWS- MAN CHARGED IN POLICE-CAR CRASH
The Columbus Dispatch...02/05/2002
The driver of a car that rammed into a Columbus police officer on Saturday has been charged with aggravated vehicular assault.
Additional charges could be filed against Ernest O. Thorpe, 57, police said.
Both Thorpe and Officer Todd Bush, 33, were in serious condition yesterday at Grant Medical Center.
Bush was hit as he was getting out of his cruiser on N. High Street near Chestnut Street when Thorpe apparently lost control of his car.
The impact knocked the cruiser onto the sidewalk in front of Three Nationwide Plaza.
Bush and his partner, Officer Dawn Yoder, had stopped in a southbound lane of N. High shortly before 8 a.m. when the owner of a stolen vehicle flagged them down to tell them that he had found his car.
Since the accident, Bush has undergone several surgeries. He suffered multiple fractures to his lower legs.
Yoder suffered a minor knee injury, and Thorpe suffered a head injury and wrist fractur
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NEWS- OFFICER'S ACTIONS IN FATAL SHOOTING PROBED
The Columbus Dispatch...02/05/2002
NEW VIENNA -- The Clinton County Sheriff's Department is investigating a shooting in which a New Vienna police officer allegedly killed a father of four children.
Family members say Robert "Bert" Cundiff did not have a gun when Sgt. David Mueller shot him at about 2 a.m. yesterday.
Mueller was dispatched to Cundiff's residence in New Vienna, 60 miles southwest of Columbus, after someone in the home called 911 and hung up. When Mueller arrived, residents were in the middle of a domestic argument, Sheriff Ralph Fizer Sr. said.
Additional details about the shooting were unavailable.
The sheriff's department is investigating the incident because it involved a village officer.
New Vienna Mayor Timothy Bentz said Mueller, a three-year veteran of the department, was placed on administrative leave yesterday.
Cundiff's aunt said he was a devoted father and son.
"He loved his family. He was a sweetheart," Juanita Howard said.
When Cundiff, a 32-year-old machinist, wasn't working, he played with his kids, went golfing or worked on cars, she said.
Dispatch State Service
NEW VIENNA -- The Clinton
County Sheriff's Department is investigating a shooting in which a New Vienna police officer allegedly killed a father of four children.
Family members say Robert "Bert" Cundiff did not have a gun when Sgt. David Mueller shot him at about 2 a.m. yesterday.
Mueller was dispatched to Cundiff's residence in New Vienna, 60 miles southwest of Columbus, after someone in the home called 911 and hung up. When Mueller arrived, residents were in the middle of a domestic argument, Sheriff Ralph Fizer Sr. said.
Additional details about the shooting were unavailable.
The sheriff's department is investigating the incident because it involved a village officer.
New Vienna Mayor Timothy Bentz said Mueller, a three-year veteran of the department, was placed on administrative leave yesterday.
Cundiff's aunt said he was a devoted father and son.
"He loved his family. He was a sweetheart," Juanita Howard said.
When Cundiff, a 32-year-old machinist, wasn't working, he played with his kids, went golfing or worked on cars, she said
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NEWS- 2 Killed in police shootout
2 Killed in Shootout With Ontario Police After Traffic Stop;
Crime: The driver died in a cross-fire between an officer and the passenger, who fled and was shot in front of an apartment complex. Both had criminal backgrounds.
Los Angeles Times...02/05/2002
Two suspects died in a shootout with police in Ontario that began with a routine traffic stop by a rookie officer, detectives said Monday.
Det. Mike Macias gave the following account of Sunday's shootout:
As soon as the suspects' car came to a halt, passenger Carlos Omar Meza, 23, got out and aimed a sawed-off, 12-gauge shotgun at the officer, who was armed with a pistol. Both men opened fire, and the 36-year-old driver was slain in the cross-fire.
Then, as the 23-year-old officer continued firing, Meza jumped into the officer's patrol car and drove off, straight into the path of another police car.
The backup officer said, "Oh my God, that's not a cop."
The officer, a 40-year-old veteran, fired at Meza, who lost control of the car and crashed a few blocks away. The suspect then grabbed the police shotgun from the car and fled on foot.
A third Ontario patrolman spotted Meza in front of an apartment complex. When the suspect pointed his shotgun at the officer, the officer opened fire, killing Meza, Macias said.
The identities of the three Ontario officers have not been released.
The gun battle led down a block where a group of children were taking part in a birthday party.
"I heard a whole bunch of shots and I thought they were firecrackers," said 13-year-old Jerry Garcia. "I heard a policeman screaming. I heard gunshots. I got scared, so I just went home."
Oscar Ochoa, 11, showed where a bullet dented the top of his father's van. Bullets also splintered a door in the apartment complex.
Paramedics tried to revive Meza, but he died at Doctors' Hospital in Montclair at 6 p.m. Sunday, San Bernardino County coroner's officials said.
The driver, whose identity has not been released, died at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton about two hours after the shootout.
The driver was shot in the head, but police do not know whether the fatal round came from Meza's shotgun or from the officer's semiautomatic handgun.
Both suspects had criminal backgrounds, police said.
Meza, a resident of Pomona, pleaded guilty on Sept. 24, 1998, to a charge of making terrorist threats.
A charge of assault with a deadly weapon was dropped, according to court officials. He was sentenced to probation, and given a suspended three year prison term.
On Feb. 1, 2001, Meza admitted violating his probation and was sent to state prison. He was paroled on Sept. 13, then rearrested on Oct. 27 for violating his parole. He was released again on Nov. 1.
His criminal history goes back to 1993. He has been convicted of felony charges for possession of a firearm and unlawful sex with a minor, Macias said. He also was arrested on suspicion of beating a child, but the case was dismissed.
Details of the driver's record were not immediately available.
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BTDT got the T-shirt and debt. eom
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Tuesday February 05 09:17 AM EST
Are There Other Universes?
By Andrew Chaikin
Editor, Space & Science, SPACE.com
The irresistible, mind-boggling fantasy comes to just about everyone, sooner or later: What if everything we knew, our whole universe, was just a speck of dust on someone's shoulder?
Of course, that's not an idea astronomers take seriously. But many cosmologists are giving serious thought to a more scientific question: Do other universes exist?
At first glance, you can't help but wonder how anyone could have the chutzpah to ask a question like that. We can barely figure out this universe, and now we're wondering about others?
Believe it or not, theorists have an answer. And the answer appears to be, Yes.
To understand why, you have to go back to the Big Bang, that mysterious, mother-of-all-explosions that most astronomers believe spawned our universe. One second, according to theory, there was nothingness. The next, our cosmos sprang into existence. Nature seems to have pulled off the feat of getting something ¾ in fact, everything ¾ for nothing.
As unimaginable as that sounds, it comes straight out of the theory of quantum mechanics, a set of mathematical rules that describe how the universe works on the smallest scales, inside atoms. Quantum mechanics says that matter and energy can appear spontaneously out of the vacuum of space, thanks to something called a quantum fluctuation, a sort of hiccup in the energy field thought to pervade the cosmos.
Cosmologists say that a quantum fluctuation gave rise to the Big Bang. And the thing about quantum fluctuations is that they can happen anywhere, any time. And if our universe was born out of a quantum fluctuation, say theorists, then it's possible that other quantum fluctuations could have spawned other universes.
There's a reason some theorists want other universes to exist: They believe it's the only way to explain why our own universe, whose physical laws are just right to allow life, happens to exist. According to the so-called anthropic principle, there are perhaps an infinite number of universes, each with its own set of physical laws. And one of them happens to be ours. That's much easier to believe, say the anthropic advocates, than a single universe "fine-tuned" for our existence.
But there's a problem. If these other universes exist, there's no way for us to detect them.
Of course, as Arizona State astronomer Chris Impey points out, there are parts of our own cosmos that we can't observe, because light from those extremely distant realms hasn't had time to reach us. "We know that our own physical universe is substantially, maybe enormously larger, than the visible universe," Impey says.
That doesn't mean, however, that Impey is prepared to accept the idea of other universes. For one thing, he says, cosmologists don't really understand the nature of quantum fluctuations, "because we don’t have any quantum gravity theory yet." That means the idea of multiple fluctuations, and multiple universes, is "truly speculative."
Other astronomers are even more forceful in their resistance to the idea.
"It's not a testable idea," says Paul Steinhardt of Princeton University. Because the different universes would not be detectable by one another, he says, "You can't really prove it exists or doesn't exist." When you talk about multiple universes, Steinhardt says, you're not talking about science anymore. "In my view, you're into metaphysics."
Not everyone rejects the multiple-universe idea out of hand. At the University of California, Virginia Trimble is more accepting. "I find it neat. In much the same way that I think it would be neat if there were reincarnation."
Not exactly a resounding scientific endorsement.
But Andreas Albrecht, a cosmologist at the University of California at Davis, says the question isn't open for debate. Why? You can't argue with quantum mechanics. "As far as we can tell," Albrecht says, "that's the fundamental language that Nature speaks. Nature doesn't answer questions for certain; it answers questions by giving probabilities."
And in quantum mechanics, "There's a possibility that almost anything happens." Including other universes. And if cosmologists are queasy about that, they don't have a choice. "It comes out of the mathematics," Albrecht explains. "It's forced down our throats."
"Quantum mechanics will not give up these other alternatives on its own," says Albrecht. "And we really don't know what to make about that. On one hand it sounds totally metaphysical. On the other hand, it's all we have to work with at the moment."
So, how would Albrecht answer Impey, and Steinhardt, and others who challenge the idea of a multiple universe?
"I would say, 'Your instincts are great, but do something with them. Give me a theory that doesn't have multiple universes.' And they'd be stuck."
That's not to say Albrecht agrees with the anthropic advocates. All the "fine-tuning" which they believe is too good to be true, is only true for life as we know it. Of the advocates, Albrecht says, "They don't know a thing about life. They don't know what it takes to have life in the universe. There could be forms of life out there that we haven't even thought of! It's really stupid."
There is no shortage of published scientific papers, articles, and books on the anthropic theory, including some by experienced cosmologists. And there's some good science involved in these studies, Albrecht says, if you take out the stuff about the anthropic principle.
"People get into these studies because they are intrigued because there are real scientific issues to address. Then they say, 'Oh, this looks familiar, I'd better call it anthropic,' and they start using all these buzz words. But they [alienate] a large part of the scientific community when they do that. It's a kind of sloppiness."
"Science is about trying not to be sloppy, but it's hard because we're human. This is an example of our humanity creeping in and getting in the way of sheer rationality. I think with time it will get much better."
"In the end," Albrecht says, "we may understand that there are a bunch of other universes, but it won't be the way the anthropic guys want…. There's a lot of room between the total smorgasbord that the anthropic people want, and just having a few extra universes around."
Next page: Could other universes be detected?
But if these other universes do exist, are we really destined never to detect them? Some theorists have speculated that gravitational energy from other universes might leak into ours, and that someday we might figure out how to detect it. But even the most open-minded cosmologists say that's a long shot at best.
"That is also pure speculation," says Impey. "It’s maybe reasonable speculation, but it’s speculation in a very similar vein to the speculation of someone like Kip Thorne about wormholes and time travel and white holes and black holes. It’s very careful speculation by a highly trained theoretical physicist who knows what the boundary of the current theory is."
It wouldn't be the first time that a wild idea turned out to be right.
A bit more than 100 years ago, in the second half of the 19th century, Albrecht says, most scientists didn't accept the idea that matter was composed of atoms ¾ an idea supported not by direct observation, but by inferences based on theories of temperature, heat, and viscosity.
"Atomic theory had some great things to say about that, and seemed to give a consistent, unified picture," Albrecht says, but "the majority of physicists at that time didn't really believe atoms existed; they thought it was just some flight of fancy."
Like quantum mechanics, Albrecht ponts out, atomic theory was a construction that went way beyond what anyone could see 100 years ago. And if it's a challenge for scientists now to embrace wild ideas like other universes, he says, that just comes with the territory.
"So far, everything we've done to try to understand the universe has pulled us out of our shell, so to speak, and made us think about things that are way beyond what we see, and way beyond what we'll see in the foreseeable future. So we're just stuck with that… Unfortunately, it's part of the nature of always being at the frontier of what we understand."
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NEWS-Jury Views Cop Murder Scene Photos
Garcia On Trial For Capital Murder
Posted: 1:23 p.m. CST February 5, 2002
SAN ANTONIO -- A Bexar County jury viewed photographs Tuesday of a murder scene where a San Antonio police officer was gunned down.
The photos were part of the state's evidence being presented at the capital murder trial of Frank Garcia, Jr.
The defendant sat quietly in the 290th District Courtroom as Bexar County District Attorney Susan Reed showed a picture (pictured, left) to the jury of Officer Hector Garza's body with his police radio and his gun still in its holster. Diagrams of the shooting scene were also displayed.
Garza was gunned down while responding to a domestic dispute on March 29, 2001. He was dispatched to Garcia's home after the defendant's wife, Jessica Garcia, called for police protection as she tried to move out of the couple's home. Jessica Garcia was also fatally wounded.
Testimony was expected to continue Tuesday in the Bexar County Justice Center.
If Frank Garcia is convicted, he might face the death penalty.
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I don't believe that SEVU is a scam,
I believe they are going through some growing pains as all companies do. You can't change mistakes of the past but it certainly appears that SEVU is hungry for the future and some major exposure and developments are taking place. I have been told by R&D that SEVU is looking hard at the hand held camera our dive team is using.
http://www.corridor.net/smartdivers/images/uwcam.jpg
There are applications for the new COLOR seamaster here and it will get some major exposure in March at the annual Public Safety Divers forum here in Texas.
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Mucho Gracias : ) eom
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NEWS- Capital murder trial begins
District Attorney: Officer Was 'Executed'
Reed Prosecutes Cop-Killing Case
Posted: 2:18 p.m. CST February 4, 2002
Updated: 4:32 p.m. CST February 4, 2002
SAN ANTONIO -- Bexar County District Attorney Susan Reed called the capital murder of a San Antonio police officer an "execution" during her opening statement Monday in a cop-killing trial.
"Officer Hector Garza was executed as he performed his duties," Reed told jurors in the 290th District Court.
Reed dramatically outlined the state's case during opening arguments in the capital murder trial of Frank Garcia (pictured, left), 28.
The defendant is accused of killing Garza when the officer responded to a domestic disturbance call to protect Garcia's wife, Jessica, while she tried to move out of the couple's home in March 2001. Garcia is charged with his wife's murder, but he is only on trial for Garza's death.
Reed told the jury how Garcia in a police confession admitted to shooting Garza in the back of the officer's head.
"He shot Officer Garza two times at point-blank range," Reed said. "In the back of his head," as she pointed to the back of her head.
Reed will try the case herself.
If convicted, Garcia could face the death penalty.
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ABOUT H.R. 218
H.R. 218 is the one bill before Congress that is supported by nearly every national organization made up of rank and file law enforcement officers. The cops on the street are more likely to know about and support H.R. 218 then any other bill before Congress today.
Why? Because H.R. 218 saves lives - it provides much needed protections for law enforcement officers and their families. At the same time, H.R 218 makes our communities safer by empowering our law enforcement officers with the tools they need to save lives.
H.R. 218 - The Community Protection Act
THE FACTS
H.R. 218, endorsed by law enforcement, guarantees that active and retired law enforcement will be able to carry their firearms in all jurisdictions.
Exemption of Qualified Active and Retired Law Enforcement Officers from State laws Prohibiting the Carrying of Concealed Firearms
H.R. 218 gives off-duty police officers the right to carry concealed firearms and the means to prevent crime in our communities anywhere in the United States.
H.R. 218 puts thousands of additional equipped, trained and certified law enforcement officers on the streets at no additional cost to taxpayers
H.R. 218 provides officer the means to defend themselves and their families from the hardened, often vengeful criminals they have previously arrested.
H.R. 218 provides clear, uniform nationwide rules to replace the variety of local laws that create confusion and uncertainty as to whether an officer may or may not carry a firearm when he or she is off duty.
This bill will help stop and deter crime throughout the country. U.S. Justice Department surveys showed 57 percent of convicts were "more worried about their victims being armed than being caught by the police" and 40 percent said they "decided at least once not to commit a crime because a victim might be armed."
This is common sense legislation. H.R. 218 recognizes that a majority of states (31) have some type of Right to Carry legislation, and that officers and citizens have a right to defend themselves, even away from their home state.
Law Enforcement Related Discussion - http://www.investorshub.com/boards/board.asp?board_id=938