A state judge in New Mexico is facing charges that he sexually assaulted a prostitute in his home, a crime that police say was videotaped by the victim out of concern for her safety.
State District Judge Albert S. “Pat” Murdoch, 59, was arrested Tuesday and charged with criminal sexual penetration and intimidation of a witness, NBC affiliate KOB-TV in Albuquerque reported Wednesday. He was released on a $50,000 bond overnight, it said.
Good Morning Humboldt County!
Thanks for stopping by. Still kinda sleepy? Have a cup of coffee or tea with me while we search the headlines. Don’t start yawning now…it’s catchy!
Sleepy people blame others for everything
A new study shows that when people, in this case college students, are sleepy they are more likely to think about how events could have turned out differently and ponder how situations could have been better. Depending on the outcome, they may blame others and even seek revenge. Researchers call this sleepy thinking ‘counterfactual.’
Other cultures, such as Latin cultures, seem to understand what Americans don’t: Getting enough sleep is vital for a quality life. “They have siesta periods; in our culture we almost regard taking naps as childish,” David Mastin, associate professor of psychology at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock said. “As psychologists, we want to understand the human condition, and we should know what’s going on when people are sleepy.”
Dog bites shark and goes viral
It's got a big yellow dog, sharks, a dead dugong, attracted millions of viewers on YouTube and you couldn't make it up.
Video footage of a dog attacking a shark under water on the Australian coast has "gone viral," becoming a top Internet hit. The footage shows two dogs swimming in the ocean near the West Australian town of Broome, about 1,650 km (1,025 miles) northeast of Perth.The dogs appear to be herding several sharks towards shore, when one suddenly ducks under the water and attacks a shark.
"The dog is biting the shark," said Russell Hood-Penn in the voice-over as he video-taped the incident. "That is unbelievable. I've seen it all now." Hood-Penn placed the footage on video-sharing website YouTube where it has been viewed more than 27 million times.
No, Taunting Cops By Throwing A Box Of Doughnuts At Them Is Never A Good Idea
Angered that police were investigating an assault that reportedly occurred inside his home Saturday night, a South Carolina man tossed a box of doughnuts at the cops and announced, “I brought you some fucking donuts, don’t y’all like donuts.”
Not surprisingly, an irate Timothy Everhart--who repeatedly cursed out cops and slammed his front door on them--was eventually arrested for disorderly conduct. Cops noted that Everhart, 30, appeared intoxicated when he “threw a box of donuts on the front porch area” as Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office deputies approached his door. Everhart was released early this morning from the county jail after posting $262 bond.
U.S. authorities today arrested 16 people on charges they were involved in major cyber attacks including attacks on eBay's PayPal website as retribution for dropping WikiLeaks' donation account.
The FBI arrests were made as part of a wide-ranging investigation of the Internet vigilante hacking group Anonymous, both the FBI and Department of Justice said, and followed claims by the group that it broke into Apple servers and launched attacks last year that shut down sites of MasterCard and Visa.
Anonymous, which law enforcement authorities believe is mostly made up of hackers believed to be in their teens and early 20s, also has released scores of private e-mails and other data from an Arizona police website. Those named in the indictment Today ranged in age from 20 to 42. The DOJ noted that "one individual’s name has been withheld by the court," possibly because he or she is a minor.The 20-year-old, Mercedes Renee Haefer, is a university student, and has a lawyer, Stanley L. Cohen of New York.
Fourteen arrests were made in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Florida, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Mexico and Ohio, according to a press release from the Department of Justice. The FBI executed more than 35 search warrants. An indictment charging those arrested was unsealed Tuesday in the Northern District of California in San Jose.
In June, the Hacker group LulzSec said it was done and was “sailing off into the horizon.” The group's disbandment came unexpectedly, and could have been a sign of nerves in the face of law enforcement investigations like the one that lead to today’s arrests. It would come as no surprise to me if some of the members were in both groups.
We all dream of scoring a great deal on a house.
But a $330,000 house for $16? (address: Waterford Drive, Flower Mound, TX - photo on right)
Kenneth Robinson of the Dallas suburb of Flower Mound, Texas, says he sealed just such a deal, taking over a vacant house by simply moving in and paying $16 to file documents with the court claiming ownership.
"This is not a normal process, but it is not a process that is not known," he told WFAA-TV in Dallas. "It's just not known to everybody."
Robinson said he invested months in research to find the house. The property had been in foreclosure for more than a year, and the owner walked away. In the meantime, the lender that held the mortgage went out of business.
Robinson says he can take legal title to the house after he lives there for three years through a provision in the law called "adverse possession." Exactly how that works varies state to state.
This is how WFAA explains the situation:
The neighbors are outraged that Robinson got a house on their suburban street for $16 and have tried to get the police to arrest him for trespassing or breaking and entering. But Robinson says he had a key to the house, and the police say it's a civil matter, not a criminal case
Candy Evans of the Dallas real-estate blog Candy's Dirt called a title attorney to ask if Robinson had a chance of holding on to the house. She wrote:
I’m going to share five interesting emails with you. I’ve agreed not to reveal the writers names and am assigning each a first name. They all responded to my “Random Thought: Fire everyone in Congress and start over” post on July 18th.
Lee – “So who ARE the Republicans working for, if it's not the American people? Who is pulling their strings? Does Murdoch have that much power? Is it a foreign country? When a group of people strives this hard to bring down the greatest country in history, you have to wonder why. It doesn't seem possible that they're all just that stupid in Congress.”
Mary – “Political gamesmanship is all that Cantor is doing and personally I am sick to death of a congress that is all about games and not about results. Tea Party folks need not apply! Just when I thought Congress couldn't get worse, here comes the Tea Party to prove me wrong.”
Paul - “Can you please explain to the American public how much money was spent on creating this “Cut, Cap and Balance Act,” bill that they are submitting for a vote whilst knowing it will not make it? This is exactly the kind of ridiculous spending that needs to be done with.
People spend time on creating something only for political gain as the American Public continuously fund politicians political games. If they truly want to live to the standards they have set-out for all Americans and in accordance with their pledge, then please do us all a favor and stop this utter nonsense.”
Joan – “The Republicans are working for the Koch Bros, bankers,GE, Chrysler, Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Shell, GM, etc, etc, etc. It's large corporations that want their profits to increase without having to be responsible for the ruin perpetrated by their activities or maintain adequate worker pay and benefits. The Koch Bros. have contributed extraordinarily exorbitant amounts of money to the Tea Party (since Citizen United) than any other group under their many PAC's.”
Frank -“The irresponsible right is destroying the American economy by engaging in thug tactics and ensuring that millions are tossed out of jobs with increased poverty for all - except of course - bloated plutocrats.”
Tar, Feathers,Rail,Politician graphic source
The FBI has arrested a man investigators say was an agent of Pakistan's official state intelligence service, accusing him of making roughly $2 million in political contributions in the United States without disclosing his connections to the Pakistani government.
Syed Ghulam Nabi Fai will appear in federal court this afternoon in Alexandria, Va. He's not charged with being a spy. But he is charged with being an unregistered agent or lobbyist of the Pakistani government.
He's the executive director of a group called the Kashmiri American Council. Political contribution records show he has given tens of thousands of dollars to congressional candidates and party organizations. The FBI said in court documents released Tuesday that the council is effectively run by the Pakistani government.
According to the records, Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., head of the Pakistani caucus within the House, Burton received more than $10,000, including $2,000 each, the maximum allowable under U.S. law, in the 2004, 2008 and 2010 congressional campaigns.
In addition, Fai gave the National Republican Senatorial Committee $3,500 in 2004, $5,000 in 2006 and $1,000 in 2008. Rep. Jim Pitts, R-Pa., also received $2,000 in 2004. The only Democrat to receive a significant amount of money was Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., who received $2,000 in 1998.
Andy Landis, a principal with Thinking Retirement and the author of "Social Security: The Inside Story." advises against buying into any media-created Social Security "crisis.
" "Social Security is solvent for decades to come, and the glass is three-quarters full even after that," Landis said. "How many programs, public or private, can say that with confidence? Can you name one private company that can say the same?" Story
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Good Morning Humboldt County!
Have you got your cup of Joe and ready to go? This morning we’re looking at a WalMart receipt with Jesus Christ’s face on it.
Here in Humboldt WalMart is in the news, but nothing supernatural about that. A lot of folks think the devil is moving in to the Mall…maybe they’ll change their mind if they get a holy receipt like this couple did?
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Missing Grandma found neck deep in mud!
I’ll bet this woman never goes for a stroll in the middle of the night again. She ended up stuck in the mud up to her neck for three days!
When someone finally heard her faint calls for help they called 911 and said someone was stuck in the swamp and they knew for sure a big alligator lived there.
Asked what went through her mind afterwards, she laughed and said,”Imagine, people actually pay for mud baths in spas!” You go Grandma! You’re my hero!
A Michigan bride still wearing her wedding dress was arrested on a felony warrant and briefly jailed after exchanging vows at a Jackson-area church, police said.
The 53-year-old woman, whose name wasn't immediately released, was wanted on a 3-year-old warrant for identity theft, the Jackson Citizen Patriot reported.
Police believed the woman had moved to Florida, and they got two tips that she would be back in town for Saturday's wedding. She was arrested at City of Zion Ministries just after the ceremony, Blackman-Leoni Township Public Safety Officer Rick Gillespie said.
The woman was held for less than about 30 minutes before being booked, released on bond and picked up by her husband, Gillespie said. Officers gave her the chance to change clothes before she was taken to jail, but she declined, Gillespie said.
Officers had discussed whether to arrest her on her wedding day, and decided to do that because they had no other information about her whereabouts, Gillespie said. They let her pose for last-minute photographs before taking her to jail, he said.
Random thought: The term "Congress" has several meanings, but first among them is "the act of coming together and meeting."
We have representatives who meet, but refuse to come together for reasons of perceived political gain. Since they are not doing what we elected them to do, that is be a "Congress", why can't we just fire them all?
I’ve heard the argument that the longer you're in Congress, the more effective you are.
Given the results of that effectiveness (as in current Congressional gridlock), wouldn't it be better to fire them all and start over in 2012?
The only people who seem to think that Congressman should have no term limits are Congressman and the people with their hands in their Congressman’s pockets. How the hell can we expect change when we have 85-year old Congressmen who have spent a major portion of their life holding down a Congressional seat? They cling to their old ways of thinking and resist any change that will dilute their power, or the power of their cronies.
cartoon source for Senators running down steps - cartoon source for Pig on Capitol Building
Good Morning Humboldt County!
I’ve got a pot of virtual coffee on and your welcome to a cup.
A new week begins with some real Star Trek stuff as things are scanned and then replicated in a 3-D form.
This technology amazes me because I’ve never heard of it before. Have you?
I must be more out-of-touch on modern technology than I expected.
BP pipeline leaks oily mixture onto Alaskan tundra
BP reported yet another pipeline leak at its Alaskan oilfields, frustrating the oil giant's attempts to rebuild its reputation after the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
BP said on today that a pipeline at its 30,000 barrel per day Lisburne field, which is currently closed for maintenance, ruptured during testing and spilled a mixture of methanol and oily water onto the tundra.
The attack occurred around 10:45 p.m. on Saturday at a farm in Lamoni, where Rep. Leonard Boswell, a 77-year-old Democrat who represents Iowa's third congressional district, was spending the weekend with his wife, daughter and grandson.
"The intruder entered the front door of the farm house and physically assaulted Cindy while demanding money at gunpoint," read the statement from Boswell's office.
After hearing his daughter's screams, the congressman "entered the walkway of their house and immediately went for the guy's gun and was wrestling with him. They were both on the ground," Boswell's chief of staff Grant Woodard told local news station KCCI.While the two scuffled, Boswell's 22-year-old grandson Mitchell Brown grabbed a shotgun from a nearby room and confronted the intruder, who then fled into the surrounding field.
Time to walk on down the road…
By Dave Stancliff/For the Times-Standard
Let’s get rid of that silly hackneyed phrase “crime doesn’t pay.” It’s not true.
I’m not sure if it ever was, but if it was, it must have been a long time ago in a long-forgotten land.
As odd as it sounds, crime is the basis of a legitimate industry that brings in billions of tourist dollars every year. True crime travel destinations vie with Caribbean cruises and trips to Disneyland.
“We’re definitely seeing more interest in our tours,” said David Aspro, who leads the Boston TV & Movie Sites Tour for New York-based On Location Tours.
“We’ve sold out both the tours we’ve done since he was captured, and I think we’re on pace to do that again this upcoming weekend,” he told the Associated Press.
The tour takes visitors to different locations ranging from Louisburg Square, the Beacon Hill park seen in “The Boston Strangler,” to the flower shop/headquarters of gang boss Fergus Colm (Pete Postelthwaite) in “The Town.”
Not your cup of tea? Try a trip to “Sin City’s” Mob Experience Museum where criminal memorabilia from Nevada gangsters like Bugsy Seigel and Meyer Lansky is on display. They also have a new interactive exhibit that takes visitors on a one-of-a-kind journey into Las Vegas’ crime riddled past. Amid extravagant realistic settings, the visitor becomes part of the exhibit. They’re given a name and a character of their choice to lead them on the historic virtual tour.
Not interested in going to Las Vegas? No problem. Try the “Weird Chicago” tour.
You get to see the ghosts, gangsters, and the ghouls of the Windy City.
Join Weird Chicago for a walk on the dark side of the city during this grisly and chilling tour. This is not an ordinary crime tour but a look at the most depraved murders in the city's history - and some of the darkest crimes ever committed. It’s a trip back in time to revisit some of the bloodiest crimes of Chicago's past.
We must not forget Washington D.C. and the National Museum of Crime & Punishment. If you’re a serious crime fan, be prepared to roam three floors totaling 25,000 square feet and featuring over 100 interactive exhibits.
This tour is a “Must See for CSI fans,” according to the Today Show. They now offer a history of the Casey Anthony case, along with the disappearance of Natalee Holloway, the controversial O.J. Simpson case (once considered the crime of the century) and an exhibit on the “Freeway Sniper.”
Fans of crime dramas like CSI are offered a new tour in Los Angeles that will surely appeal to their investigatory instincts. "Crime Scene Tours" will allow visitors to explore some of the city's most famous crime scenes. Organized by Starline Tours, the operator claims the tour will be "perfect for amateur sleuths and drama junkies who enjoy television's most popular crime shows," according to a recent LA Times article.
At each stop, tourists will hear a re-telling of the infamous crime that occurred there. Crime scenes include the North Hollywood bank robbery, which resulted in a spectacular shootout between the robbers and the LAPD.
Also covered is the Black Dahlia murder - the crime scene and circumstances surrounding the murder of 22-year-old waitress Elizabeth Short, dubbed the “Black Dahlia by the press.”
Without a doubt, crime pays. I’ve offered some examples, and there are plenty more out there if you want to add to this list. I make no moral judgment about those who follow crime stories, serial killers, etc. Heck, I have to count myself in that group.
No. I simply point out that crime does pay. Every day. Still, the irony of rewarding the bad men and women in our society and those who seek to profit from their crimes makes me uneasy. I realize I’m complicit when I buy a book like “The Green River Killer,” or “In Cold Blood.”
As It Stands, the answer is to not buy, read, or listen to, any true stories about killers in our society. Not a likely scenario for most of us.
Websites that have picked up this column:
God's Vacation and Other Matters – 7/17 metaphysics, spirituality,kundalini, synchronicity, mystical experiences, personal para-normal experiences, politics, comparative religions, global warming, the future, you name it
Las Vegas Crime 7/17 Crime, law and justice, and police blotter near Las Vegas, NV or anywhere in the US.
Interceder – 7/17 James Whitey Bulger - Interceder – 7/17 Suddenlink
Squidoo – 7/17 Under Google News Board
Famous People – 7/17 from Nevada News
Topic Hawk – 7/17 What people are saying…
Famous Serial Killers – 7/17 under “Recent Posts”
Russian State media can't get enough of Marjorie Taylor Greene. She's proven to be a superstar for actively stopping aid to Ukrai...
