Saturday, March 14, 2009
What’s on Charlie Rose: Daily Highlights Thursday March 12, 2009
Daily Highlights Thursday March 12, 2009 with Adm. Michael Mullen
British: Progress made on plan to stop Gaza arms
(AP) — Nine nations working on a plan to prevent arms smuggling into the volatile Gaza Strip have agreed to use existing United Nations resolutions as a legal basis for their efforts rather than seek new legal authority to prevent weapons from reaching Gaza militants, British officials said.
The group, including Britain and the United States, agreed in London Friday to hold meetings in Canada next month to work out details, the officials said.
A statement spelling out the strategy would be posted on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Web site Monday, officials said.
The weapons issue is extremely sensitive because Israel is counting on international help to prevent militants from Hamas and other groups from getting weapons that can be launched across the border from Gaza into Israel, where border towns have been subjected to repeated rocket attack.
It was these rocket bombardments that spurred the recent bloody fighting in Gaza, and Western diplomats hope to prevent another round of fighting in part from cutting off the arms flow, much of which arrives by sea.
A senior British diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government policy said the nine countries agreed that "non-coercive" methods would be used to clamp down on the arms flow.
That means, he said, that any vessel whose captain refuses to allow the ship to be boarded for an inspection will not be forced to submit to the procedure.
The U.S. and Britain are joined by Norway, Germany, France, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands and Denmark in the campaign, which is designed to strengthen the wobbly cease-fire in Gaza. The meeting in London on Friday followed one in Denmark last month.
The Israeli government sent representatives as observers to the London meeting, but the Egyptian government — expected to play an important role because of its strategic location on Gaza's border — declined an invitation to attend, the diplomat said.
The Palestinian Authority government that maintains power in the West Bank but not in Gaza also did not attend, officials said.
Officials said diplomatic, military, intelligence and law enforcement resources would be used against arms smugglers but cautioned that it would take time to shut down the well-established smuggling routes into Gaza.
The group, including Britain and the United States, agreed in London Friday to hold meetings in Canada next month to work out details, the officials said.
A statement spelling out the strategy would be posted on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Web site Monday, officials said.
The weapons issue is extremely sensitive because Israel is counting on international help to prevent militants from Hamas and other groups from getting weapons that can be launched across the border from Gaza into Israel, where border towns have been subjected to repeated rocket attack.
It was these rocket bombardments that spurred the recent bloody fighting in Gaza, and Western diplomats hope to prevent another round of fighting in part from cutting off the arms flow, much of which arrives by sea.
A senior British diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government policy said the nine countries agreed that "non-coercive" methods would be used to clamp down on the arms flow.
That means, he said, that any vessel whose captain refuses to allow the ship to be boarded for an inspection will not be forced to submit to the procedure.
The U.S. and Britain are joined by Norway, Germany, France, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands and Denmark in the campaign, which is designed to strengthen the wobbly cease-fire in Gaza. The meeting in London on Friday followed one in Denmark last month.
The Israeli government sent representatives as observers to the London meeting, but the Egyptian government — expected to play an important role because of its strategic location on Gaza's border — declined an invitation to attend, the diplomat said.
The Palestinian Authority government that maintains power in the West Bank but not in Gaza also did not attend, officials said.
Officials said diplomatic, military, intelligence and law enforcement resources would be used against arms smugglers but cautioned that it would take time to shut down the well-established smuggling routes into Gaza.
British scientists work on mind reading
UPI) -- Scientists at University College London are working on developing a form of mind reading using virtual reality and magnetic resonance imaging.
Their experiment, outlined in the journal Current Biology, involves looking at neural activity to determine what someone is thinking, the Financial Times reported Friday.
The scientists had volunteers navigate around a room in a computerized virtual reality game while an MRI scanner was used to examine their hippocampus, the region of the brain that is used for navigation.
"Surprisingly, just by looking at the brain data we could predict exactly where they were in the virtual reality room," said Eleanor Maguire, project leader.
The experiment is significant because it shows for the first time that memories are laid down in specific structures or patterns in the hippocampus, the newspaper says.
The study's co-author Demis Hassabis, predicts it would be at least 10 years before the technique could be used in criminal investigations.
Their experiment, outlined in the journal Current Biology, involves looking at neural activity to determine what someone is thinking, the Financial Times reported Friday.
The scientists had volunteers navigate around a room in a computerized virtual reality game while an MRI scanner was used to examine their hippocampus, the region of the brain that is used for navigation.
"Surprisingly, just by looking at the brain data we could predict exactly where they were in the virtual reality room," said Eleanor Maguire, project leader.
The experiment is significant because it shows for the first time that memories are laid down in specific structures or patterns in the hippocampus, the newspaper says.
The study's co-author Demis Hassabis, predicts it would be at least 10 years before the technique could be used in criminal investigations.
Aid groups in Darfur weigh future after kidnapping
(AP) — Three foreign aid workers abducted in Sudan's lawless Darfur region were released unharmed on Saturday, three days after their capture at gunpoint led international aid groups to question how they can continue to work in the area.
Sudanese television showed the Doctors Without Borders workers — a Canadian nurse, an Italian doctor and a French project coordinator — stepping off a military helicopter at El Fasher airport in North Darfur with the local governor.
"I would like to say to everybody we are safe, we are here, we are in good health," said Raphael Meunier, the French coordinator, speaking on Sudanese television. "We will be more talkative a bit later on, now our first thoughts are for our families."
The governor, Osman Kebir, said Wednesday's kidnapping was carried out by a group seeking to retaliate for the International Criminal Court arrest warrant issued against President Omar al-Bashir on charges of war crimes in Darfur.
Kebir said no ransom was paid to the group, which he said called itself the Eagles of al-Bashir.
"They said they released them for the country's sake and they kidnapped them for the sake of the country," he added.
Sudan's government threw 13 international aid agencies out of the country after the March 4 warrant, accusing them of being the court's spies. The government says it had nothing to do with the abduction and condemned it.
The Netherlands-based court accuses al-Bashir of orchestrating atrocities against civilians in Darfur, where his Arab-led government has been battling ethnic African rebels since 2003. Up to 300,000 people have been killed and 2.7 million have been driven from their homes.
Sudan denies the charges and says the figures are exaggerated.
The government warned that issuing the warrant could lead to spontaneous revenge attacks by enraged Sudanese, though it pledged to defend aid workers and diplomats in the country.
The freed aid workers were from the Belgian branch of Doctors Without Borders, also known as Medicins Sans Frontieres. The branch was not among the agencies Sudan ordered out of the country, though two other MSF operations were.
The director of the group's Belgian section said the workers' release was a relief, but he called the kidnapping a "gross violation."
"Our independent medical work must be respected if we are to continue working in conflict areas to save the lives of those who suffer most," Christopher Stokes said.
Erwin Van't Land, also of MSF in Brussels, said Wednesday's kidnapping was a "major last blow" to the Darfur aid community. "It is a very serious issue," he said, anticipating that "every aid agency is reviewing whether they can continue to work."
The group has pulled out its remaining 35 international workers, leaving behind only two staff to help with negotiations to release the hostages.
Sudanese officials said Saturday they will increase protection for aid groups operating in Darfur. Aid groups generally resist such armed protection, viewing it as a violation of their impartiality.
An officer with the U.N.-African Union peacekeeping mission said they have advised aid groups to centralize their operations in secure cities. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media.
Other groups remaining in Darfur have voiced concern following the latest events — none have said they are pulling out, though there is concern individual employees could opt to leave.
"It is becoming more complicated, more uncertain, more volatile, and, for the people, more difficult to work," said Gerog Nothelle, the Africa director for the Germany-based aid group Malteser International, which operates in north Darfur.
Aid groups already had to struggle with difficult working conditions. Banditry, break-ins and carjackings against aid organizations and security harassment have long been common in Darfur, usually blamed on the many armed groups fighting in the region.
By expelling so many aid workers_ 40 percent of those working in Darfur, according to the U.N. — and accusing them of being spies, experts say the Sudanese government has created a negative environment for the aid groups in hopes they will eventually be forced out.
"It is a signal that the field is open for confrontation," which encouraged the kidnapping, said Fouad Hikmat, a Sudan expert with the International Crisis Group. "You create a push factor" to drive away the remaining groups.
Senior Foreign Ministry official Ali Youssef, however, has dismissed such speculation, maintaining that "the government is determined to follow a responsible pattern of behavior."
Security considerations would mean scaling back in the remote areas of Darfur where nearly half of the 4.7 million people receiving aid reside. The aid group expulsion has already left a number of refugee camps without a single aid group to provide services.
"We are now in the business of surviving," said one aid worker speaking from Darfur. "It is hard to get much work done in this environment."
Already, some refugee camp residents are reporting deteriorating water services and the spread of infectious diseases. U.N. officials say the capacity of existing aid groups is not enough to fill the gap created by the departing groups. The government argues it can fill the gaps.
Meanwhile aid agencies across the border in Chad are bracing for an influx of hundreds of thousands of new refugees fleeing the breakdown of aid services in Darfur or possible outbreak of violence, said David Cibonga, a U.N. relief official in Chad.
Sudanese television showed the Doctors Without Borders workers — a Canadian nurse, an Italian doctor and a French project coordinator — stepping off a military helicopter at El Fasher airport in North Darfur with the local governor.
"I would like to say to everybody we are safe, we are here, we are in good health," said Raphael Meunier, the French coordinator, speaking on Sudanese television. "We will be more talkative a bit later on, now our first thoughts are for our families."
The governor, Osman Kebir, said Wednesday's kidnapping was carried out by a group seeking to retaliate for the International Criminal Court arrest warrant issued against President Omar al-Bashir on charges of war crimes in Darfur.
Kebir said no ransom was paid to the group, which he said called itself the Eagles of al-Bashir.
"They said they released them for the country's sake and they kidnapped them for the sake of the country," he added.
Sudan's government threw 13 international aid agencies out of the country after the March 4 warrant, accusing them of being the court's spies. The government says it had nothing to do with the abduction and condemned it.
The Netherlands-based court accuses al-Bashir of orchestrating atrocities against civilians in Darfur, where his Arab-led government has been battling ethnic African rebels since 2003. Up to 300,000 people have been killed and 2.7 million have been driven from their homes.
Sudan denies the charges and says the figures are exaggerated.
The government warned that issuing the warrant could lead to spontaneous revenge attacks by enraged Sudanese, though it pledged to defend aid workers and diplomats in the country.
The freed aid workers were from the Belgian branch of Doctors Without Borders, also known as Medicins Sans Frontieres. The branch was not among the agencies Sudan ordered out of the country, though two other MSF operations were.
The director of the group's Belgian section said the workers' release was a relief, but he called the kidnapping a "gross violation."
"Our independent medical work must be respected if we are to continue working in conflict areas to save the lives of those who suffer most," Christopher Stokes said.
Erwin Van't Land, also of MSF in Brussels, said Wednesday's kidnapping was a "major last blow" to the Darfur aid community. "It is a very serious issue," he said, anticipating that "every aid agency is reviewing whether they can continue to work."
The group has pulled out its remaining 35 international workers, leaving behind only two staff to help with negotiations to release the hostages.
Sudanese officials said Saturday they will increase protection for aid groups operating in Darfur. Aid groups generally resist such armed protection, viewing it as a violation of their impartiality.
An officer with the U.N.-African Union peacekeeping mission said they have advised aid groups to centralize their operations in secure cities. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media.
Other groups remaining in Darfur have voiced concern following the latest events — none have said they are pulling out, though there is concern individual employees could opt to leave.
"It is becoming more complicated, more uncertain, more volatile, and, for the people, more difficult to work," said Gerog Nothelle, the Africa director for the Germany-based aid group Malteser International, which operates in north Darfur.
Aid groups already had to struggle with difficult working conditions. Banditry, break-ins and carjackings against aid organizations and security harassment have long been common in Darfur, usually blamed on the many armed groups fighting in the region.
By expelling so many aid workers_ 40 percent of those working in Darfur, according to the U.N. — and accusing them of being spies, experts say the Sudanese government has created a negative environment for the aid groups in hopes they will eventually be forced out.
"It is a signal that the field is open for confrontation," which encouraged the kidnapping, said Fouad Hikmat, a Sudan expert with the International Crisis Group. "You create a push factor" to drive away the remaining groups.
Senior Foreign Ministry official Ali Youssef, however, has dismissed such speculation, maintaining that "the government is determined to follow a responsible pattern of behavior."
Security considerations would mean scaling back in the remote areas of Darfur where nearly half of the 4.7 million people receiving aid reside. The aid group expulsion has already left a number of refugee camps without a single aid group to provide services.
"We are now in the business of surviving," said one aid worker speaking from Darfur. "It is hard to get much work done in this environment."
Already, some refugee camp residents are reporting deteriorating water services and the spread of infectious diseases. U.N. officials say the capacity of existing aid groups is not enough to fill the gap created by the departing groups. The government argues it can fill the gaps.
Meanwhile aid agencies across the border in Chad are bracing for an influx of hundreds of thousands of new refugees fleeing the breakdown of aid services in Darfur or possible outbreak of violence, said David Cibonga, a U.N. relief official in Chad.
World’s Oldest Profession Thriving on the North Side
As the economy in North Fulton County continues to slide into the throws of recession, one profession, the oldest in history, is thriving. Only this time, it’s getting a boost from the nation’s most popular free commerce website: Craigslist.
On any given day, a casual North Side Craigslist surfer can find up to 100 listings for so called “providers” – the new name for old-fashioned prostitutes working their trade. Most of their “postings” are concentrated in Roswell, Alpharetta, Sandy Springs and Marietta – the affluent suburbs of Atlanta. Once relegated to the downtown hotel trade and concentrated in phone books, alternative weeklies like Creative Loafing, and seedy publications in dive bars, the “hooker” trade is now booming – thanks to Craigslist.
What’s worse, the so-called listings are not restricted. Anyone who has an Internet connection and a web browser can get in, click that they are over 18 years of age, and peruse the listings. Many of them are accompanied with explicit photographs. This is essentially free and unrestricted pornography that any minor with so much as a mobile phone can download and view without any parental supervision.
ILLINOIS SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT HAS HAD ENOUGH
Taking the bull by the horns, Illinois Sheriff Tom Dart filed a federal lawsuit against Craigslist on March 5, saying the popular online Web site promotes and facilitates prostitution on a massive scale. And he wants to shut it down.
Dart wants Craigslist to eliminate its “erotic services” section, suggesting that many of the section's ads are blatant solicitations for prostitution. “Missing children, runaways, abused women and women trafficked in from foreign countries are routinely forced to have sex with strangers because they're being pimped on Craigslist,'' Dart said.
Dart asserted that his lawsuit follows repeated requests for Craigslist to shut down their “erotic services'' section. In recent weeks, Dart claimed one of his own officers – writing undercover as a 15-year-old girl – posted ads for sex on the site that generated responses from several people, including a convicted sex offender.
GEORGE FOCUSED ON KIDS
Alpharetta Public Safety Director Gary George concurs with the Illinois Sheriff’s approach. “I agree with Dart. That same scenario is now creeping into North Fulton,” George said. “Anything we can do to protect children from sexual exploitation, whether it be physical, emotional, mental or otherwise we need to aggressively pursue.” George added that the liberal posting policies of the popular website were beyond the pale. “We have undercover cops who scan and monitor these postings in Alpharetta every day looking for any indication of child exploitation or child pornography. That is our primary focus at this time,” George said. George acknowledged that catching a local “John” in the act was not his department’s main concern right now. “We are currently focusing our resources on ensuring the safety of our citizens and protecting our children,” he added.
A quick review over the weekend showed postings like “Teens for cash ... $100 quickie'' and “Are you looking to make some good money in this tough economy? Minimum pay is $25 per hour,” etc.
CRAIGSLIST: WHAT, ME WORRY?
Susan Best, a spokeswoman for San Francisco-based Craigslist, said the company cooperates with law enforcement and works diligently to prevent illegal use of the site. She said the company has taken such measures as placing prominent notices banning illegal activity and removing inappropriate ads. “Any misuse of the site is not tolerated by Craigslist,” Best said.
But these are empty words, as the company has no guidelines in place to remove sex for sale ads when they are posted and no restrictions to prevent minors from penetrating the “erotic” section at will.
Craigslist allows users to post classified ads and other items and, like many other sites, generally doesn't check the postings or remove them unless it receives complaints. Federal law offers broad immunity to service providers for content posted by users, as long as they respond to specific complaints.
Best said her company has not yet seen the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago. If that is successful, the floodgates will open and a barrage of similar lawsuits is sure to follow by other law enforcement agencies. “It’s vile and disgusting, and it is embedded in an otherwise useful and respected site, which makes it that much more credible,” said one local detective who is not authorized to talk to the media.
So far “erotic services'” ads posted on Craigslist have resulted in several prostitution arrests nationwide.
Federal prosecutors charged a New York man in November with being a violent pimp who forced young girls and women into prostitution, alleging he advertised the services of women between the ages of 15 and 20. And in January, two Wisconsin women were charged with misdemeanor prostitution after allegedly offering sex for money in Craigslist ads.
Craigslist had reached an agreement in November with state attorney generals in Connecticut, Illinois and several other states that called for the company to crack down on prostitution ads. The Connecticut Attorney General's office had contacted the site and after receiving several complaints about photographs depicting nudity. At the time, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who brokered the agreement, said Craigslist cooperated fully and there never was a need to threaten the company with legal action.
“I am fully convinced that Craigslist wants to stop this activity as much as we do,'' Blumenthal said then.
Jim Buckmaster, Craigslist's CEO, said at the time that the agreement would allow legitimate escort services to continue advertising, while discouraging illegal activity by requiring anyone posting “erotic services'' ads to provide a working phone number and pay a fee with a valid credit card. Craigslist also agreed to provide that information to law enforcement if subpoenaed.
One random listing in Roswell, posted March 13, reads: “Hey guys. It's your favorite, sexy girl Cherry here and I'm feeling a little naughty! Allow yourself to indulge in your cravings and satisfy that insatiable appetite of pleasure! I’m here to cater to your wants, needs & desires.”
Phone messages to Buckmaster from The Beacon asking him to define “legitimate escort services” were not returned.
On any given day, a casual North Side Craigslist surfer can find up to 100 listings for so called “providers” – the new name for old-fashioned prostitutes working their trade. Most of their “postings” are concentrated in Roswell, Alpharetta, Sandy Springs and Marietta – the affluent suburbs of Atlanta. Once relegated to the downtown hotel trade and concentrated in phone books, alternative weeklies like Creative Loafing, and seedy publications in dive bars, the “hooker” trade is now booming – thanks to Craigslist.
What’s worse, the so-called listings are not restricted. Anyone who has an Internet connection and a web browser can get in, click that they are over 18 years of age, and peruse the listings. Many of them are accompanied with explicit photographs. This is essentially free and unrestricted pornography that any minor with so much as a mobile phone can download and view without any parental supervision.
ILLINOIS SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT HAS HAD ENOUGH
Taking the bull by the horns, Illinois Sheriff Tom Dart filed a federal lawsuit against Craigslist on March 5, saying the popular online Web site promotes and facilitates prostitution on a massive scale. And he wants to shut it down.
Dart wants Craigslist to eliminate its “erotic services” section, suggesting that many of the section's ads are blatant solicitations for prostitution. “Missing children, runaways, abused women and women trafficked in from foreign countries are routinely forced to have sex with strangers because they're being pimped on Craigslist,'' Dart said.
Dart asserted that his lawsuit follows repeated requests for Craigslist to shut down their “erotic services'' section. In recent weeks, Dart claimed one of his own officers – writing undercover as a 15-year-old girl – posted ads for sex on the site that generated responses from several people, including a convicted sex offender.
GEORGE FOCUSED ON KIDS
Alpharetta Public Safety Director Gary George concurs with the Illinois Sheriff’s approach. “I agree with Dart. That same scenario is now creeping into North Fulton,” George said. “Anything we can do to protect children from sexual exploitation, whether it be physical, emotional, mental or otherwise we need to aggressively pursue.” George added that the liberal posting policies of the popular website were beyond the pale. “We have undercover cops who scan and monitor these postings in Alpharetta every day looking for any indication of child exploitation or child pornography. That is our primary focus at this time,” George said. George acknowledged that catching a local “John” in the act was not his department’s main concern right now. “We are currently focusing our resources on ensuring the safety of our citizens and protecting our children,” he added.
A quick review over the weekend showed postings like “Teens for cash ... $100 quickie'' and “Are you looking to make some good money in this tough economy? Minimum pay is $25 per hour,” etc.
CRAIGSLIST: WHAT, ME WORRY?
Susan Best, a spokeswoman for San Francisco-based Craigslist, said the company cooperates with law enforcement and works diligently to prevent illegal use of the site. She said the company has taken such measures as placing prominent notices banning illegal activity and removing inappropriate ads. “Any misuse of the site is not tolerated by Craigslist,” Best said.
But these are empty words, as the company has no guidelines in place to remove sex for sale ads when they are posted and no restrictions to prevent minors from penetrating the “erotic” section at will.
Craigslist allows users to post classified ads and other items and, like many other sites, generally doesn't check the postings or remove them unless it receives complaints. Federal law offers broad immunity to service providers for content posted by users, as long as they respond to specific complaints.
Best said her company has not yet seen the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago. If that is successful, the floodgates will open and a barrage of similar lawsuits is sure to follow by other law enforcement agencies. “It’s vile and disgusting, and it is embedded in an otherwise useful and respected site, which makes it that much more credible,” said one local detective who is not authorized to talk to the media.
So far “erotic services'” ads posted on Craigslist have resulted in several prostitution arrests nationwide.
Federal prosecutors charged a New York man in November with being a violent pimp who forced young girls and women into prostitution, alleging he advertised the services of women between the ages of 15 and 20. And in January, two Wisconsin women were charged with misdemeanor prostitution after allegedly offering sex for money in Craigslist ads.
Craigslist had reached an agreement in November with state attorney generals in Connecticut, Illinois and several other states that called for the company to crack down on prostitution ads. The Connecticut Attorney General's office had contacted the site and after receiving several complaints about photographs depicting nudity. At the time, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who brokered the agreement, said Craigslist cooperated fully and there never was a need to threaten the company with legal action.
“I am fully convinced that Craigslist wants to stop this activity as much as we do,'' Blumenthal said then.
Jim Buckmaster, Craigslist's CEO, said at the time that the agreement would allow legitimate escort services to continue advertising, while discouraging illegal activity by requiring anyone posting “erotic services'' ads to provide a working phone number and pay a fee with a valid credit card. Craigslist also agreed to provide that information to law enforcement if subpoenaed.
One random listing in Roswell, posted March 13, reads: “Hey guys. It's your favorite, sexy girl Cherry here and I'm feeling a little naughty! Allow yourself to indulge in your cravings and satisfy that insatiable appetite of pleasure! I’m here to cater to your wants, needs & desires.”
Phone messages to Buckmaster from The Beacon asking him to define “legitimate escort services” were not returned.
Martin Luther King, Jr. & The Vietnam War
These are video excerpts from "Evidence of Revision", a 6-DVD, 10 hour long documentary series that presents suppressed historical audio, video, and film recordings largely unseen by the public concerning the assassination of the Kennedy brothers and Martin Luther King Jr., the war in Vietnam, CIA mind control programs and their involvement in the RFK assassination and the Jonestown massacre. The complete series "Evidence of Revision" can be viewed for free on Google Video, or can be purchased online (Google it).
Calif. teachers see red over mass pink slips
— In a spring rite that has become as predictable as the cherry blossoms in the nation's capital, public school employees throughout California have been warned of wrenching classroom cuts as districts face a deadline for issuing layoff notices.
Most years many of those notices would be rescinded, but this year the ritual is more fraught with uncertainty because of the economy.
The state Department of Education estimates that preliminary pink slips will have been handed to 26,500 teachers by the Sunday cutoff — two-and-a-half times as many as were issued last year. Some 15,000 bus drivers, janitors, secretaries and administrators also were expected to receive the written warnings, said Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell.
Because of the state's less-than-rosy economic outlook, California's 1,000 K-12 school districts have been instructed to absorb more than $8 billion in funding cuts over the next year.
To draw attention to the situation, teachers and parents wore pink clothes and waved pink protest signs for a day California's largest teachers' union dubbed "Pink Friday."
Rosemarie Ochoa, a fifth-grade teacher who's in her third year with the San Lorenzo Unified School District, said she was pulled out of class Monday by a district official bearing a pink slip.
"I smiled at her because I knew what she was there for," said Ochoa, 28, who was among 76 of the district's 640 teachers who got a notice this week. "Then I had to go back to my students and retain my composure."
The second part of this annual ritual is that many, if not most, of the early layoff notices could end up being withdrawn by June, especially if the state can devote some of its federal stimulus money to education, officials said.
Six years ago, for example, all but 3,000 of the 20,000 teacher pink slips that went out statewide were rescinded.
O'Connell, who donned a pink tie for an appearance Friday at a school in San Jose, Allen At Steinbeck K-8, said it is unlikely that tens of thousands of teachers would be let go.
Still, he said, with so huge a budget gap to fill, schools would probably increase class sizes, reduce library hours and lose counselors.
And if voters do not approve the state spending package that will be the subject of a special election in May, schools would have to cut even more deeply and be unable to avert mass layoffs, O'Connell said.
"The cuts we are experiencing in public education are debilitating. These cuts have real consequences for real students," he said.
O'Connell, a Democrat who is considering a run for governor next year, said the dispiriting cycle would continue until state officials find a long-term and reliable way to pay for schools.
W. Norton Grubb, the director of a principal training program at the University of California, Berkeley and the author of "The Money Myth: School Resources, Outcomes, and Equity," says years of uncertainty take their toll on schools even when layoffs do not come to pass.
"What is happening in these schools when the pink slips go out is everything stops, everyone is discouraged, everyone is busy worrying whether the money will come through, and all the efforts to get schools going basically grinds to a halt and remains ground to a halt for the rest of the spring," Grubb said. "A state that has these kind of crises year after year is really doing a poor job of planning."
Teachers, students and parents at Alhambra High School, in the eastern Los Angeles suburb of Alhambra, were familiar with the Pink Friday routine from previous years. Some parents dropping off their children at school had pink paper taped to their car windows or honked to show their support for the 40 teachers who stood outside in pink wigs, bows and T-shirts.
Justin Li, a 17-year-old senior, photographed the protest for the school paper. The effects of the budget cuts have been noticeable, he said.
"We are seeing teachers being laid off year after year and we want to do something, because all the good teachers are leaving and more and more classes are being cut," Li said. "Teachers work too hard to lose their jobs."
The Alhambra district's budget has been cut by $6 million this school year and 38 teachers have received layoff notices, said Rosalyn Collier, vice president of the Alhambra Teachers Association.
"The cuts have left no wiggle room in the master schedule for the fall. Every class will be at 36 students and no less," said Kathleen Tar, an English teacher for 33 years. "So, if we have honors classes that do not meet 36, those classes will go away."
This week was the third time Steve Chambers, 47, a 5th-grade teacher at Allen At Steinbeck K-8 School in San Jose, has gotten a pink slip, but this is the first time that he has been truly worried. The economy is so bad everywhere, he has little confidence he would be able to get a teaching job elsewhere.
"It's irritating, the fact that I am an eight-year veteran and I could be out of a job for a year," said Chambers, who brought his class to listen to O'Connell's remarks.
Besides Chambers, Principal Nico Flores gave pink slips to four other teachers, one of his vice principals and a counselor. Flores said San Jose is better off than many school districts because it already had a spending freeze and has a large reserve fund, but he's still nervous.
"It's like crying wolf, crying wolf, and then suddenly the wolf is really coming and no one is listening," he said.
Most years many of those notices would be rescinded, but this year the ritual is more fraught with uncertainty because of the economy.
The state Department of Education estimates that preliminary pink slips will have been handed to 26,500 teachers by the Sunday cutoff — two-and-a-half times as many as were issued last year. Some 15,000 bus drivers, janitors, secretaries and administrators also were expected to receive the written warnings, said Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell.
Because of the state's less-than-rosy economic outlook, California's 1,000 K-12 school districts have been instructed to absorb more than $8 billion in funding cuts over the next year.
To draw attention to the situation, teachers and parents wore pink clothes and waved pink protest signs for a day California's largest teachers' union dubbed "Pink Friday."
Rosemarie Ochoa, a fifth-grade teacher who's in her third year with the San Lorenzo Unified School District, said she was pulled out of class Monday by a district official bearing a pink slip.
"I smiled at her because I knew what she was there for," said Ochoa, 28, who was among 76 of the district's 640 teachers who got a notice this week. "Then I had to go back to my students and retain my composure."
The second part of this annual ritual is that many, if not most, of the early layoff notices could end up being withdrawn by June, especially if the state can devote some of its federal stimulus money to education, officials said.
Six years ago, for example, all but 3,000 of the 20,000 teacher pink slips that went out statewide were rescinded.
O'Connell, who donned a pink tie for an appearance Friday at a school in San Jose, Allen At Steinbeck K-8, said it is unlikely that tens of thousands of teachers would be let go.
Still, he said, with so huge a budget gap to fill, schools would probably increase class sizes, reduce library hours and lose counselors.
And if voters do not approve the state spending package that will be the subject of a special election in May, schools would have to cut even more deeply and be unable to avert mass layoffs, O'Connell said.
"The cuts we are experiencing in public education are debilitating. These cuts have real consequences for real students," he said.
O'Connell, a Democrat who is considering a run for governor next year, said the dispiriting cycle would continue until state officials find a long-term and reliable way to pay for schools.
W. Norton Grubb, the director of a principal training program at the University of California, Berkeley and the author of "The Money Myth: School Resources, Outcomes, and Equity," says years of uncertainty take their toll on schools even when layoffs do not come to pass.
"What is happening in these schools when the pink slips go out is everything stops, everyone is discouraged, everyone is busy worrying whether the money will come through, and all the efforts to get schools going basically grinds to a halt and remains ground to a halt for the rest of the spring," Grubb said. "A state that has these kind of crises year after year is really doing a poor job of planning."
Teachers, students and parents at Alhambra High School, in the eastern Los Angeles suburb of Alhambra, were familiar with the Pink Friday routine from previous years. Some parents dropping off their children at school had pink paper taped to their car windows or honked to show their support for the 40 teachers who stood outside in pink wigs, bows and T-shirts.
Justin Li, a 17-year-old senior, photographed the protest for the school paper. The effects of the budget cuts have been noticeable, he said.
"We are seeing teachers being laid off year after year and we want to do something, because all the good teachers are leaving and more and more classes are being cut," Li said. "Teachers work too hard to lose their jobs."
The Alhambra district's budget has been cut by $6 million this school year and 38 teachers have received layoff notices, said Rosalyn Collier, vice president of the Alhambra Teachers Association.
"The cuts have left no wiggle room in the master schedule for the fall. Every class will be at 36 students and no less," said Kathleen Tar, an English teacher for 33 years. "So, if we have honors classes that do not meet 36, those classes will go away."
This week was the third time Steve Chambers, 47, a 5th-grade teacher at Allen At Steinbeck K-8 School in San Jose, has gotten a pink slip, but this is the first time that he has been truly worried. The economy is so bad everywhere, he has little confidence he would be able to get a teaching job elsewhere.
"It's irritating, the fact that I am an eight-year veteran and I could be out of a job for a year," said Chambers, who brought his class to listen to O'Connell's remarks.
Besides Chambers, Principal Nico Flores gave pink slips to four other teachers, one of his vice principals and a counselor. Flores said San Jose is better off than many school districts because it already had a spending freeze and has a large reserve fund, but he's still nervous.
"It's like crying wolf, crying wolf, and then suddenly the wolf is really coming and no one is listening," he said.
Insurance giant AIG agrees to restructure bonuses
Insurance giant American International Group has agreed to Obama administration demands to restructure some of its corporate bonuses.
However, the troubled company will still pay out millions of dollars in bonuses after the Treasury Department determined that the government did not have the legal authority to block those payments.
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has demanded that the company scale back future bonus payments where legally possible, an administration official said Saturday.
This official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said that Geithner had called AIG Chairman Edward Liddy on Wednesday to demand that Liddy renegotiate AIG's current bonus structure.
Geithner termed the current bonus structure unacceptable in view of the billions of dollars of taxpayer support the company is receiving, this official said.
In a letter to Geithner dated Saturday, Liddy informed Treasury that it would restructure $9.6 million in bonuses scheduled to go a group that covers the top 50 executives. Liddy and six other executives have agreed to forgo bonuses.
The group of top executives getting bonuses will receive a total of $9.6 million now, with the average payment around $112,000.
This group will get another 25 percent on July 14 and the final 25 percent on September 15. But these payments will be contingent on the AIG board determining that the company is meeting the goals the government has set for dealing with the company's financial troubles.
However, the troubled company will still pay out millions of dollars in bonuses after the Treasury Department determined that the government did not have the legal authority to block those payments.
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has demanded that the company scale back future bonus payments where legally possible, an administration official said Saturday.
This official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said that Geithner had called AIG Chairman Edward Liddy on Wednesday to demand that Liddy renegotiate AIG's current bonus structure.
Geithner termed the current bonus structure unacceptable in view of the billions of dollars of taxpayer support the company is receiving, this official said.
In a letter to Geithner dated Saturday, Liddy informed Treasury that it would restructure $9.6 million in bonuses scheduled to go a group that covers the top 50 executives. Liddy and six other executives have agreed to forgo bonuses.
The group of top executives getting bonuses will receive a total of $9.6 million now, with the average payment around $112,000.
This group will get another 25 percent on July 14 and the final 25 percent on September 15. But these payments will be contingent on the AIG board determining that the company is meeting the goals the government has set for dealing with the company's financial troubles.
Officials: Alabama shooter depressed over failures
The man blamed for the worst massacre in Alabama history was depressed and frustrated with his inability to become a Marine or a police officer, officials said Thursday. Michael McLendon, 28, killed five family members and five others before fatally shooting himself Tuesday.
McLendon had told a confidant in the days before the shootings that he was depressed and unfulfilled, according to Barry Tucker of the Alabama Bureau of Investigation.
"He talked about his depression, his lack of fulfillment in his jobs, in becoming a police officer and in becoming a Marine," Tucker said.
McLendon had been a Marine briefly but was discharged for falsifying information. Officials said he was released from the police academy because he couldn't meet some of the physical requirements.
Authorities also said McLendon admitted in a two-page, handwritten letter that he had killed his mother and planned to commit suicide. He mentioned a family dispute over a legal issue but didn't reveal plans to kill anyone else. Investigators said they found the letter in a mailbox. They would not disclose its intended recipient.
After killing his mother at the house they shared in Kinson, McLendon started a rampage that ended with him taking his own life following a shootout with police in nearby Geneva at Reliable Products, the metals plant where he worked until 2003.
In between, he gunned down three relatives and the wife and 18-month-old daughter of a local sheriff's deputy on a front porch in Samson. He turned his gun next door and killed his 74-year-old grandmother and sent panicked bystanders fleeing and ducking behind cars.
McLendon then drove off, spraying bullets through the town, killing three more bystanders.
Jerry Conner, chief of the Alabama Bureau of Investigation, said people who spoke to McLendon in the days before the shooting knew he was depressed but did not feel that would prompt violence, even in a man who loved weapons and spent his free time at the local firing range.
"This gives a window into what happened. But this sort of violence and rage, it just boggles the mind," he said.
County District Attorney Gary McAliley said the only complaint neighbors had about McLendon was that he was constantly behind his home firing a weapon and they were worried about their cows.
"I don't think anybody could have anticipated this by looking at him and interacting with him," McAliley said. "But certainly he had a volcano inside of him."
McLendon had told a confidant in the days before the shootings that he was depressed and unfulfilled, according to Barry Tucker of the Alabama Bureau of Investigation.
"He talked about his depression, his lack of fulfillment in his jobs, in becoming a police officer and in becoming a Marine," Tucker said.
McLendon had been a Marine briefly but was discharged for falsifying information. Officials said he was released from the police academy because he couldn't meet some of the physical requirements.
Authorities also said McLendon admitted in a two-page, handwritten letter that he had killed his mother and planned to commit suicide. He mentioned a family dispute over a legal issue but didn't reveal plans to kill anyone else. Investigators said they found the letter in a mailbox. They would not disclose its intended recipient.
After killing his mother at the house they shared in Kinson, McLendon started a rampage that ended with him taking his own life following a shootout with police in nearby Geneva at Reliable Products, the metals plant where he worked until 2003.
In between, he gunned down three relatives and the wife and 18-month-old daughter of a local sheriff's deputy on a front porch in Samson. He turned his gun next door and killed his 74-year-old grandmother and sent panicked bystanders fleeing and ducking behind cars.
McLendon then drove off, spraying bullets through the town, killing three more bystanders.
Jerry Conner, chief of the Alabama Bureau of Investigation, said people who spoke to McLendon in the days before the shooting knew he was depressed but did not feel that would prompt violence, even in a man who loved weapons and spent his free time at the local firing range.
"This gives a window into what happened. But this sort of violence and rage, it just boggles the mind," he said.
County District Attorney Gary McAliley said the only complaint neighbors had about McLendon was that he was constantly behind his home firing a weapon and they were worried about their cows.
"I don't think anybody could have anticipated this by looking at him and interacting with him," McAliley said. "But certainly he had a volcano inside of him."
Calif. teachers see red over mass pink slips
(AP) — In a spring rite that has become as predictable as the cherry blossoms in the nation's capital, public school employees throughout California have been warned of wrenching classroom cuts as districts face a deadline for issuing layoff notices.
Most years many of those notices would be rescinded, but this year the ritual is more fraught with uncertainty because of the economy.
The state Department of Education estimates that preliminary pink slips will have been handed to 26,500 teachers by the Sunday cutoff — two-and-a-half times as many as were issued last year. Some 15,000 bus drivers, janitors, secretaries and administrators also were expected to receive the written warnings, said Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell.
Because of the state's less-than-rosy economic outlook, California's 1,000 K-12 school districts have been instructed to absorb more than $8 billion in funding cuts over the next year.
To draw attention to the situation, teachers and parents wore pink clothes and waved pink protest signs for a day California's largest teachers' union dubbed "Pink Friday."
Rosemarie Ochoa, a fifth-grade teacher who's in her third year with the San Lorenzo Unified School District, said she was pulled out of class Monday by a district official bearing a pink slip.
"I smiled at her because I knew what she was there for," said Ochoa, 28, who was among 76 of the district's 640 teachers who got a notice this week. "Then I had to go back to my students and retain my composure."
The second part of this annual ritual is that many, if not most, of the early layoff notices could end up being withdrawn by June, especially if the state can devote some of its federal stimulus money to education, officials said.
Six years ago, for example, all but 3,000 of the 20,000 teacher pink slips that went out statewide were rescinded.
O'Connell, who donned a pink tie for an appearance Friday at a school in San Jose, Allen At Steinbeck K-8, said it is unlikely that tens of thousands of teachers would be let go.
Still, he said, with so huge a budget gap to fill, schools would probably increase class sizes, reduce library hours and lose counselors.
And if voters do not approve the state spending package that will be the subject of a special election in May, schools would have to cut even more deeply and be unable to avert mass layoffs, O'Connell said.
"The cuts we are experiencing in public education are debilitating. These cuts have real consequences for real students," he said.
O'Connell, a Democrat who is considering a run for governor next year, said the dispiriting cycle would continue until state officials find a long-term and reliable way to pay for schools.
W. Norton Grubb, the director of a principal training program at the University of California, Berkeley and the author of "The Money Myth: School Resources, Outcomes, and Equity," says years of uncertainty take their toll on schools even when layoffs do not come to pass.
"What is happening in these schools when the pink slips go out is everything stops, everyone is discouraged, everyone is busy worrying whether the money will come through, and all the efforts to get schools going basically grinds to a halt and remains ground to a halt for the rest of the spring," Grubb said. "A state that has these kind of crises year after year is really doing a poor job of planning."
Teachers, students and parents at Alhambra High School, in the eastern Los Angeles suburb of Alhambra, were familiar with the Pink Friday routine from previous years. Some parents dropping off their children at school had pink paper taped to their car windows or honked to show their support for the 40 teachers who stood outside in pink wigs, bows and T-shirts.
Justin Li, a 17-year-old senior, photographed the protest for the school paper. The effects of the budget cuts have been noticeable, he said.
"We are seeing teachers being laid off year after year and we want to do something, because all the good teachers are leaving and more and more classes are being cut," Li said. "Teachers work too hard to lose their jobs."
The Alhambra district's budget has been cut by $6 million this school year and 38 teachers have received layoff notices, said Rosalyn Collier, vice president of the Alhambra Teachers Association.
"The cuts have left no wiggle room in the master schedule for the fall. Every class will be at 36 students and no less," said Kathleen Tar, an English teacher for 33 years. "So, if we have honors classes that do not meet 36, those classes will go away."
This week was the third time Steve Chambers, 47, a 5th-grade teacher at Allen At Steinbeck K-8 School in San Jose, has gotten a pink slip, but this is the first time that he has been truly worried. The economy is so bad everywhere, he has little confidence he would be able to get a teaching job elsewhere.
"It's irritating, the fact that I am an eight-year veteran and I could be out of a job for a year," said Chambers, who brought his class to listen to O'Connell's remarks.
Besides Chambers, Principal Nico Flores gave pink slips to four other teachers, one of his vice principals and a counselor. Flores said San Jose is better off than many school districts because it already had a spending freeze and has a large reserve fund, but he's still nervous.
"It's like crying wolf, crying wolf, and then suddenly the wolf is really coming and no one is listening," he said.
Most years many of those notices would be rescinded, but this year the ritual is more fraught with uncertainty because of the economy.
The state Department of Education estimates that preliminary pink slips will have been handed to 26,500 teachers by the Sunday cutoff — two-and-a-half times as many as were issued last year. Some 15,000 bus drivers, janitors, secretaries and administrators also were expected to receive the written warnings, said Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell.
Because of the state's less-than-rosy economic outlook, California's 1,000 K-12 school districts have been instructed to absorb more than $8 billion in funding cuts over the next year.
To draw attention to the situation, teachers and parents wore pink clothes and waved pink protest signs for a day California's largest teachers' union dubbed "Pink Friday."
Rosemarie Ochoa, a fifth-grade teacher who's in her third year with the San Lorenzo Unified School District, said she was pulled out of class Monday by a district official bearing a pink slip.
"I smiled at her because I knew what she was there for," said Ochoa, 28, who was among 76 of the district's 640 teachers who got a notice this week. "Then I had to go back to my students and retain my composure."
The second part of this annual ritual is that many, if not most, of the early layoff notices could end up being withdrawn by June, especially if the state can devote some of its federal stimulus money to education, officials said.
Six years ago, for example, all but 3,000 of the 20,000 teacher pink slips that went out statewide were rescinded.
O'Connell, who donned a pink tie for an appearance Friday at a school in San Jose, Allen At Steinbeck K-8, said it is unlikely that tens of thousands of teachers would be let go.
Still, he said, with so huge a budget gap to fill, schools would probably increase class sizes, reduce library hours and lose counselors.
And if voters do not approve the state spending package that will be the subject of a special election in May, schools would have to cut even more deeply and be unable to avert mass layoffs, O'Connell said.
"The cuts we are experiencing in public education are debilitating. These cuts have real consequences for real students," he said.
O'Connell, a Democrat who is considering a run for governor next year, said the dispiriting cycle would continue until state officials find a long-term and reliable way to pay for schools.
W. Norton Grubb, the director of a principal training program at the University of California, Berkeley and the author of "The Money Myth: School Resources, Outcomes, and Equity," says years of uncertainty take their toll on schools even when layoffs do not come to pass.
"What is happening in these schools when the pink slips go out is everything stops, everyone is discouraged, everyone is busy worrying whether the money will come through, and all the efforts to get schools going basically grinds to a halt and remains ground to a halt for the rest of the spring," Grubb said. "A state that has these kind of crises year after year is really doing a poor job of planning."
Teachers, students and parents at Alhambra High School, in the eastern Los Angeles suburb of Alhambra, were familiar with the Pink Friday routine from previous years. Some parents dropping off their children at school had pink paper taped to their car windows or honked to show their support for the 40 teachers who stood outside in pink wigs, bows and T-shirts.
Justin Li, a 17-year-old senior, photographed the protest for the school paper. The effects of the budget cuts have been noticeable, he said.
"We are seeing teachers being laid off year after year and we want to do something, because all the good teachers are leaving and more and more classes are being cut," Li said. "Teachers work too hard to lose their jobs."
The Alhambra district's budget has been cut by $6 million this school year and 38 teachers have received layoff notices, said Rosalyn Collier, vice president of the Alhambra Teachers Association.
"The cuts have left no wiggle room in the master schedule for the fall. Every class will be at 36 students and no less," said Kathleen Tar, an English teacher for 33 years. "So, if we have honors classes that do not meet 36, those classes will go away."
This week was the third time Steve Chambers, 47, a 5th-grade teacher at Allen At Steinbeck K-8 School in San Jose, has gotten a pink slip, but this is the first time that he has been truly worried. The economy is so bad everywhere, he has little confidence he would be able to get a teaching job elsewhere.
"It's irritating, the fact that I am an eight-year veteran and I could be out of a job for a year," said Chambers, who brought his class to listen to O'Connell's remarks.
Besides Chambers, Principal Nico Flores gave pink slips to four other teachers, one of his vice principals and a counselor. Flores said San Jose is better off than many school districts because it already had a spending freeze and has a large reserve fund, but he's still nervous.
"It's like crying wolf, crying wolf, and then suddenly the wolf is really coming and no one is listening," he said.
Arrest Warrant Issued For Lindsay Lohan!
Beverly Hills Superior Court issued an arrest warrant for Lindsay on Friday. The warrant comes from her 2007 DUI and hit-and-run case. Lohan is currently serving a three year probation term.
Seems like the warrant didnt put a cloud over her parade, Lohan was spotted getting her party on at the Chateau Marmont last night.
Seems like the warrant didnt put a cloud over her parade, Lohan was spotted getting her party on at the Chateau Marmont last night.
NFL Star Donte Stallworth Kills Pedestrian
What a shockingly sad story. TMZ reports that A Cleveland Brown star has possibly hit and killed someone in Miami.
NFL wide receiver, Donte Stallworth, is being questioned by Miami Beach police after allegedly hitting a pedestrian as he was driving his Bentley earlier this morning. The unidentified victim died shortly thereafter.
Police tell TMZ, they have taken blood samples from Stallworth to see if he has any drugs or alcohol in his system. It’s unclear what circumstances caused the accident.
Stallworth is currently on a seven year, $35 mil contract with the Cleveland Browns.
Once all the details are released on who the victim was, this is going to get more sad and really ugly. The victim’s family is going to want Donte to pay.
Do you think Stallworth was drinking? Do you think he will actually have to pay the price for his crime or will he get off because of his ’star status’?
NFL wide receiver, Donte Stallworth, is being questioned by Miami Beach police after allegedly hitting a pedestrian as he was driving his Bentley earlier this morning. The unidentified victim died shortly thereafter.
Police tell TMZ, they have taken blood samples from Stallworth to see if he has any drugs or alcohol in his system. It’s unclear what circumstances caused the accident.
Stallworth is currently on a seven year, $35 mil contract with the Cleveland Browns.
Once all the details are released on who the victim was, this is going to get more sad and really ugly. The victim’s family is going to want Donte to pay.
Do you think Stallworth was drinking? Do you think he will actually have to pay the price for his crime or will he get off because of his ’star status’?
Your Presidential Address: Food Safety
President Obama today used his presidential address to speak about food safety and to nominate Dr. Margaret Hamburg, a former New York City health commissioner, as commissioner of the F.D.A. The opening of the address was classic Obama: concede a right-wing frame only to turn it on its head to advance a progressive one.
"I've often said that I don't believe government has the answer to every problem or that it can do all things for all people. We are a nation built on the strength of individual initiative. But there are certain things that we can't do on our own. There are certain things that only a government can do. And one of those things is ensuring that the foods we eat, and the medicines we take, are safe and don't cause us harm."
It's clear that President Obama sees food safety as a national security issue, one that requires strict federal involvement and oversight. Yet another reminder that it's nice to have the adults in charge again.
How long before a conservative complains "doesn't the President have enough on his plate?"
"I've often said that I don't believe government has the answer to every problem or that it can do all things for all people. We are a nation built on the strength of individual initiative. But there are certain things that we can't do on our own. There are certain things that only a government can do. And one of those things is ensuring that the foods we eat, and the medicines we take, are safe and don't cause us harm."
It's clear that President Obama sees food safety as a national security issue, one that requires strict federal involvement and oversight. Yet another reminder that it's nice to have the adults in charge again.
How long before a conservative complains "doesn't the President have enough on his plate?"
Another Former Pro Wrestler Dead … Former WWE Wrestler Andrew ‘Test’ Martin Found Dead in Tampa, FL Home
33 year old, former WWE Pro-wrestler, Andrew “Test” Martin was found dead in his Tampa, FL home late Friday night at approximate 8 pm. Sadly, yet another member of the wrestling community has died at an age far too young. Police came to the home of Andrew Martin responding to a call from a concerned neighbor who had requested a welfare check. Former WWE wrestler Test was found dead just 4 days before his 34th birthday.
The cause of death wasn’t immediately known, but police said foul play isn’t suspected. An autopsy will be performed.
In July 2004 Martin had spinal fusion surgery. He was released from his WWE contract several months ago, MyFOXTampaBay.com reported.
Martin tried several unsuccessful comebacks after his injury, but failed a drug test and was suspended in February 2007, FOXSports.com reported.
In April 2008, Martin was arrested on a DUI charge in Tampa, FOXSports.com reported.
Police do not suspect foul play. An autopsy will be done to determine the cause of death
Other pro-wrestler deaths in Tampa area.
Brian Adams, aka Crush, was found dead earlier today.
Of course the death, murder/suicide that most shocked the wrestling community and those outside wrestling was that of Chris Benoit and his wife and son.‘Roid” rage was suspected.
Having been a wrestling fan in my younger days and an admitted closet wrestling viewer from time to time, I must admit I was shocked to see all who have passed away at such young ages from my youth and others pretty recent. Check out this list of Famous Wrestlers That Have Died Since 1985 Before the Age of 65. Some are listed below of who some may be familiar with. Here’s another list and another with cause of death. Not all on this list have died of drug overdose, steroid use or the ever common heart attack; however, many have. One thing is for certain that far too many have died too young from the sports entertainment world of pro-wrestling for it to be a coincidence.
Chris Von Erich - 21
Mike Von Erich - 23
Rick McGraw - 30
Joey Marella - 30 (referee)
Buzz Sawyer - 32
Crash Holly - 32
Kerry Von Erich - 33
The Renegade - 33
Adrian Adonis - 34
Bobby Duncum Jr. - 34
Owen Hart - 34
Big Dick Dudley - 34
Brian Pillman - 35
Pitbull #2 - 36
Eddie Guerrero - 38
John Kronus - 38
Davey Boy Smith - 39 (1/2 of the British Bulldogs)
Johnny Grunge - 39
Vivian Vachon - 40
Terry Gordy - 40
Chris Benoit - 40
Rick Rude - 41
Randy Anderson - 41
Bruiser Brody - 42
Miss Elizabeth - 42 iBi
Big Boss Man - 42
Earthquake - 42
Brian Adams (Crush) - 43
Nancy Benoit (Woman) - 43
Dino Bravo - 44
Curt Hennig - 44
Bam Bam Bigelow - 45
Jerry Blackwell - 45
Junkyard Dog - 45
Andre the Giant - 46
Big John Studd - 46
Chris Adams - 46
Hawk - 46 (The Legion of Doom & Road Warriors)
Cousin Junior - 48
Dick Murdoch - 49
Sherri Martel - 49
Moondog Spot - 51
Haystacks Calhoun- 55
The Spoiler - 56
Kurt Von Hess - 56
Dr. Jerry Graham - 58
Tony Parisi - 58
Ray Stevens - 60
Stan Stasiak - 60
Terry Garvin - 60
Dick the Bruiser - 62
Gorilla Monsoon - 62
Bad News Brown - 63
Bulldog Brower - 63
SD Jones - 63
Wahoo McDaniel - 63
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The cause of death wasn’t immediately known, but police said foul play isn’t suspected. An autopsy will be performed.
In July 2004 Martin had spinal fusion surgery. He was released from his WWE contract several months ago, MyFOXTampaBay.com reported.
Martin tried several unsuccessful comebacks after his injury, but failed a drug test and was suspended in February 2007, FOXSports.com reported.
In April 2008, Martin was arrested on a DUI charge in Tampa, FOXSports.com reported.
Police do not suspect foul play. An autopsy will be done to determine the cause of death
Other pro-wrestler deaths in Tampa area.
Brian Adams, aka Crush, was found dead earlier today.
Of course the death, murder/suicide that most shocked the wrestling community and those outside wrestling was that of Chris Benoit and his wife and son.‘Roid” rage was suspected.
Having been a wrestling fan in my younger days and an admitted closet wrestling viewer from time to time, I must admit I was shocked to see all who have passed away at such young ages from my youth and others pretty recent. Check out this list of Famous Wrestlers That Have Died Since 1985 Before the Age of 65. Some are listed below of who some may be familiar with. Here’s another list and another with cause of death. Not all on this list have died of drug overdose, steroid use or the ever common heart attack; however, many have. One thing is for certain that far too many have died too young from the sports entertainment world of pro-wrestling for it to be a coincidence.
Chris Von Erich - 21
Mike Von Erich - 23
Rick McGraw - 30
Joey Marella - 30 (referee)
Buzz Sawyer - 32
Crash Holly - 32
Kerry Von Erich - 33
The Renegade - 33
Adrian Adonis - 34
Bobby Duncum Jr. - 34
Owen Hart - 34
Big Dick Dudley - 34
Brian Pillman - 35
Pitbull #2 - 36
Eddie Guerrero - 38
John Kronus - 38
Davey Boy Smith - 39 (1/2 of the British Bulldogs)
Johnny Grunge - 39
Vivian Vachon - 40
Terry Gordy - 40
Chris Benoit - 40
Rick Rude - 41
Randy Anderson - 41
Bruiser Brody - 42
Miss Elizabeth - 42 iBi
Big Boss Man - 42
Earthquake - 42
Brian Adams (Crush) - 43
Nancy Benoit (Woman) - 43
Dino Bravo - 44
Curt Hennig - 44
Bam Bam Bigelow - 45
Jerry Blackwell - 45
Junkyard Dog - 45
Andre the Giant - 46
Big John Studd - 46
Chris Adams - 46
Hawk - 46 (The Legion of Doom & Road Warriors)
Cousin Junior - 48
Dick Murdoch - 49
Sherri Martel - 49
Moondog Spot - 51
Haystacks Calhoun- 55
The Spoiler - 56
Kurt Von Hess - 56
Dr. Jerry Graham - 58
Tony Parisi - 58
Ray Stevens - 60
Stan Stasiak - 60
Terry Garvin - 60
Dick the Bruiser - 62
Gorilla Monsoon - 62
Bad News Brown - 63
Bulldog Brower - 63
SD Jones - 63
Wahoo McDaniel - 63
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