Erykah Badu will be charged with disorderly conduct over nude video

Decent Dallas citizens do not take kindly to folks just willy-nilly stripping down to their birthday suits in public. It's just not right and proper. And there are laws, people, laws!

Erykah Badu will learn that today when she is formally charged with disorderly conduct over her nude video ("Window Seat") shoot that took place in the middle of downtown Dallas.

According to TMZ, the announcement will be made by the Dallas Police Department at a press conference this afternoon.

Erykah took her clothes off in the middle of Dealey Plaza -- the place where JFK was assassinated in 1963 -- for her music video.

A Texas woman filed an indecency complaint with the Dallas Police Department. No news about any single bullet theory.

Governors Receive Threats From Extremist Group Sovereign Citizen Movement

WASHINGTON - Governors across the country said Friday that they had received letters from an extremist group warning that that they might be forcibly removed from office if they did not step down within three days.

Sovereign citizen movement

The sovereign citizen movement is a loose network of American litigants who claim to be "sovereign citizens".

Statement by ALG President Bill Wilson on the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ jobless numbers

April 2nd, 2010, Fairfax, VA—Americans for Limited Government President Bill Wilson today issued the following statement on the increase of U-6 unemployment from 16.8 to 16.9 percent in March 2010:

“It is unacceptable that 26 million Americans are either unemployed, underemployed or have flat given up on getting a job under this Administration’s put-government-first economic policy. You cannot disconnect Obama’s regulatory, enforcement and taxation attack on the private business job creation machine as well as his fiscal irresponsibility that has led to stunning deficits from the increased misery of our nation’s middle class.”

21st Century Global Cooling Trend Debunks United Nations Computer Climate Models

By Kevin Mooney

Computer models that have figured prominently into the climate studies organized through the United Nations show that the warming trend evident in the latter half of the 20th century would continue and even accelerate into the new millennium. But the climate has not cooperated and in fact the newest research shows that a cooling trend has taken hold that could persist for decades.

Dr. Don Easterbook, a geologist and professor emeritus at Western Washington University, has concluded that sea surface temperatures will experience a drop that could last for the next 25 to 30 years based on his observations of the Pacific Decadal Oscilliation or PDO, a weather phenomenon that reverts between warm and cool modes. He’s not alone.

Victor Manuel Velasco Herrera, a researcher at the Institute of Geophysics with the National Autonomous University of Mexico sees evidence that points to the onset of a “little ice age” in about 10 years that could last for much of the 21st Century. The U.N. computer models are not correct because they do not take into account natural factors like solar activity, he said in a lecture.

This view is also advanced in a paper published by the Astronomical Society of Australia. The authors anticipate that sun’s activity will diminish significantly over the next few decades.

Get full story here.

Liberal “Intelligentsia”: Civility, Really?

By Rick Manning

Displaying the civility of the left, Congressman Charles Rangel goes on New York City television and equates the rallies against the Obama health care law to racists protesting in the south. I guess Mr. Rangel didn’t have time to read the civility memo while sifting through his ethics charges.

“I was involved in the civil rights marches in the 60’s, and I have been badgered and cursed at and spat at by groups in the south, and I want you to know and your viewing audience to know that the group that was in Washington fighting against the health bill and fighting against the President, looked just like and sounded just like those groups that attacked the civil rights movement in the south,” disgraced former Ways & Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel.

Rick Manning is the Communications Director of Americans for Limited Government.

Health Care Reform: Endorsed by Obama Supporters?

By Victor Morawski

Fallacies are mistakes in reasoning that occur so often and are so easily made that, over the years, logicians have sought to give them names for convenient reference. While teaching a recent unit on fallacies to my Logic students, I plucked from the Internet, summarized, and placed on a test an argument advanced by a blogger to counter the evidence from polls that Health Care Reform legislation was unpopular with the American people.

What the blogger said in essence was: “It is wrong to say that the majority of the American people no longer support the legislation for comprehensive health care reform now before Congress. A majority of the American people elected Barack Obama as President. Health care reform was part of his platform. So, a majority of the American people support comprehensive health care reform.”

Now I would be happy to let this one go as a piece of shaky reasoning by an obscure liberal blogger that deserves little serious attention were it not for the fact that, just a few days ago, I heard the Rev. Al Sharpton use essentially the same argument on a national news broadcast. As acceptance of this reasoning may be more widespread than I had previously realized, I think that it deserves to be addressed.

If the above argument seems alright, don’t be misled. An additional characteristic of fallacies is that, while from a logical point of view they are leaky buckets that won’t hold water, they are often quite persuasive psychologically.

Get full story here.

Interest rates rise after jobs report

NEW YORK — Interest rates rose in the bond market Friday after the government said employers added jobs in March for only the third month since the recession began.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which is often used as a benchmark for consumer loans, rose to its highest level since last June and approached 4 percent for the first time since 2008.

The yield on the 10-year note maturing in February 2020 rose to 3.94 percent from 3.87 percent late Thursday. Its price fell 14/32 to 97 14/32.

Interest rates have been creeping higher in recent weeks as more data shows the economy is on the upswing, even if growth is slow.

The Labor Department said 162,000 jobs were added to payrolls in March. Economists had forecast employer would add 190,000 jobs.

The report adds further evidence that the economy is recovering, even though jobs were created at a slower pace than forecast. Investors often sell Treasurys and favor riskier assets like stocks and commodities when the economy is improving.

That's because investments other than Treasurys traditionally provide the potential for bigger profits. Inflation also typically increases when the economy is strong, so rates must move higher to keep pace.

The yield on the 10-year note hasn't been this high since it reached 3.96 in June. It last traded above 4 percent in October 2008, just before the credit crisis peaked and investors poured money into bonds for safety. The yield fell as low as 2.06 percent in December 2008.

The 10-year's yield climbed as high as 3.95 percent during trading Friday.

The bond market closed early for the Good Friday holiday. The stock market was closed.

In other trading, the yield on the two-year note that matures in March 2012 rose to 1.11 percent from 1.06 percent. Its price fell 2/32 to 99 25/32.

The yield on 30-year bond that matures in February 2040 rose to 4.80 percent from 4.73 percent. The price fell 1 to 97 7/32.

The yield on the three-month T-bill that matures July 1 rose to 0.16 percent from 0.15 percent. Its discount rate was 0.16 percent.

Obama: US to Continue to 'Ratchet Up' Pressure on Iran

U.S. President Barack Obama says the United States will continue to increase pressure on Iran over its nuclear program.

The president said in an interview that aired Friday that the United States will "ratchet up the pressure" and see how Tehran responds. But he said that will be done with a unified international community.

The U.S. has been consulting with its allies, as well as with key members of the U.N. Security Council, including China and Russia, about hitting Iran with new sanctions for pursuing its controversial nuclear program.

The Obama administration announced this week that China will be a full participant in U.N. Security Council negotiations. And White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Friday that the U.S. has been pleased with the progress in talks between the two nations.

Iran's chief nuclear envoy, in Beijing for high-level talks, said Friday that China agrees with Tehran that sanctions cannot help resolve the standoff.

Chinese officials did not directly address the remarks by Iranian chief nuclear envoy Saeed Jalili. An earlier Chinese Foreign Ministry statement called for the nuclear dispute to be resolved through dialogue and negotiation, and for all sides to show "flexibility."

The United States and its allies suspect Iran is enriching uranium to develop nuclear weapons, a charge the Islamic Republic denies.

U.S. President Obama told CBS television Friday that Iran will trigger an arms race in the Middle East and destabilize the region if it gets nuclear weapons.

Mr. Obama called Chinese President Hu Jintao late Thursday to ask for cooperation on the issue.

The phone call between took place hours after China announced its president would attend a major two-day nuclear security summit in Washington beginning April 12.

Relations between China and the United States have been strained over a number of issues, including trade, $6.4 billion in U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, and the value of the Chinese currency.

One of Moscow subway bombers was 17-year-old widow

MOSCOW - The image is striking: a sultry teenager, partly veiled, in the embrace of a bearded man - both grasping handguns. The photo appeared Friday in a leading Russian newspaper, which reported that the teen was one of the two female suicide bombers.

Dwyane Wade Files For Full Custody of His 2 Sons

Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade released a statement to the AP yesterday accusing his ex-wife of being an unfit mother who uses abusive parenting methods, had extramarital affairs and was hospitalized for anger management issues. Who knew?

“For more than two years, I have tried to make peace with Siohvaughn concerning our divorce and custody of our kids,” Wade said in a statement released to The AP. “I no longer believe that’s possible. Siohvaughn has consistently attempted to interrupt or prevent me from having visitation time with our boys.”

Siohvaughn Wade’s behavior “has made it evident that she is unstable, dishonest, unbalanced, unwilling to accept responsibility for her actions, not of good character, and therefore, unfit to be a custodial parent,” according to the petition.

“I’m sorry to say that many of the things she has done during our marriage and throughout this divorce have convinced me that it is not in our children’s best interest that she have custody,” Wade said in his statement to The AP. “As a result, I have decided to fight for custody of our children.”

The documents obtained by The AP include police reports from when Siohvaughn Wade called authorities to the couple’s home in a Miami suburb on Christmas Eve 2008 as Dwyane Wade arrived there to see his children.

They also include claims made by Andrea Williams, a former friend of the couple, that Siohvaughn Wade paid for trips to Las Vegas and other places, bought a man she was romantically involved with as far back as 2004 a car and a motorcycle, threatened to find a gun and shoot her husband, and voluntarily entered an Illinois hospital to deal with anger-related issues.

“I feel our children’s health and safety are at stake,” Dwyane Wade said. “Our two children are my top priority.” Read More…

Japan indicts activist who boarded whaling ship

TOKYO — Prosecutors Friday indicted an anti-whaling activist from New Zealand for illegally boarding a Japanese harpoon boat as part of a protest against the ship's whale hunting expedition in Antarctic seas in February.

Peter Bethune had jumped aboard the Shonan Maru 2 during the annual face-off between whalers and their opponents with the stated goal of making a citizen's arrest of the captain, while handing over a $3 million bill for the destruction of a Sea Shepherd protest ship a month earlier.

The 44-year-old was held on board and arrested March 12 immediately after the ship returned to Japan. He has since been in custody in Tokyo.

On Friday, The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office charged Bethune of the U.S.-based group Sea Shepherd Conservation Society with five criminal counts: assault, illegal possession of a knife, destruction of property, obstruction of business and trespassing.

The prosecutors' move comes a day after Japan's coast guard added a set of new allegations against Bethune, which were reflected in the indictment, said coast guard spokesman Tatsuya Fujino.

Assault and business obstruction each carries a prison term of up to 15 years or a fine up to 500,000 yen ($5,340). His initial trespassing allegation can bring a prison term of up to three years or a fine up to 100,000 yen ($1,100).

Bethune's Japanese lawyers declined to comment.

Japan's annual whale hunt is allowed by the International Whaling Commission as a scientific program, but opponents call it a cover for commercial whaling, which has been banned since 1986. Japan hunts hundreds of mostly minke whales, which are not an endangered species. Whale meat not used for study is sold for consumption in Japan.

The Sea Shepherd sends vessels to confront the fleet each year, trying to block the whalers from firing harpoons and dangling ropes in the water to try to snarl the Japanese ships' propellers. They also hurl packets of stinking rancid butter at their rivals. The whalers have responded by firing water cannons and sonar devices meant to disorient the activists.

The group described its efforts this year as its "most successful" Antarctic campaign against Japanese whalers.