Thursday, July 21, 2011

Justice Department caught in growing gun scandal, Nazi shrine is no more, and ‘Snore patrols’ assure a good night’s sleep

Melson

Good Morning Humboldt County!

Pull up a chair and tilt a cup of Java with me this morning as we take a look at what’s happening in this crazy world around us:

Justice Department trying to shield officials in guns scandal, ATF chief says

Kenneth Melson (left), the ATF's acting director, claims Justice Department officials refuse to release a telling internal report on the Fast and Furious operation.

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Look for my column in the Times-Standard this Sunday dealing with this Justice Department scandal.

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The Justice Department is trying to protect its political appointees from the Fast and Furious scandal by concealing an internal "smoking gun" report and other documents that acknowledge the role top officials played in the program that allowed firearms to flow illegally into Mexico, according to the head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Image: Grave site of Rudolf Hess

Shrine no more: Bones of Hitler aide exhumed

The remains of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's deputy Rudolf Hess have been exhumed from a grave in Bavaria after it became a pilgrimage for thousands of right-wing extremists.

A church official in the southern town of Wunsiedel said Thursday the tomb had been razed and its headstone removed after consulting with Hess's family over how to handle the grave site.

"The bones were removed and brought to the crematorium, and the ashes are to be scattered at sea," Peter Seisser said.

An early, fervent member of the Nazi party, Hess spent time in prison with Hitler in the early 1920s and helped edit Mein Kampf -- the book in which the dictator outlined plans to destroy European Jewry and murder other groups he considered undesirable.

Extremist groups often portray him as a martyr figure, and some from as far away as Oregon and California have organized memorials for him in the past, including a number of outdoor 'white power' rock concerts.

The annual pilgrimage of neo-Nazis in Wunsiedel peaked in 2004, when authorities say some 5,000 people came from across Europe, including left-wing counter protesters.

"Now, hopefully we can put it all behind us," deputy mayor Roland Schoeffel said. "We hope the phantom has left."

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Light sleepers rejoice: Hotel chain drafts 'snore patrols' as shuteye sentries

Guests at an international hotel chain may sleep more soundly after the introduction of "snore patrols" and "snore absorption rooms" at a number of sites worldwide.

Crowne Plaza is testing the first "snore absorption" rooms at 10 hotels in Europe and the Middle East, whilst six branches in Britain have implemented "snore patrols" this month in a bid to combat noisy sleepers.

"Snore monitors" patrol corridors in the designated quiet zones of Crowne Plaza hotels in the cities of London, Leeds and Manchester. Their job is to listen out for offensive noises and knock on the door of guests who snore too loudly.

"We have quiet zones on two floors of the hotel. As Snore Monitor, I conduct floor walks to check for noise disruptions, paying particular attention to the quiet zone rooms," said Laura Simpson, Snore Monitor at Leeds Crowne Plaza hotel in northern England.

"Guests can ask to stay our quiet zone rooms if they are particularly light sleepers."

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