Steps to take
Insurance companies make their money by receiving interest on their invested funds. That’s why delay is their favorite tactic. They hope you’ll agree to a smaller amount, or lose your hope of getting any amount at all. Insurance adjusters are trained to persuade you to agree to a small compensation. It’s their job to protect their employer’s funds, not to maximize your compensation. If you have your own attorney, you’ll be more on a par with the insurance company, which has a batallion of lawyers. Your own attorney can represent and protect your interests, and fight for a compensation appropriate to your injuries and property damage.
If you’re in an accident
Handling things well from the moment of the auto accident isn’t necessarily easy, as you might be shaken up and hurt. If you can, remember to do these things at the site of the accident:
1. Call 911
The 911 operator can call the police for you, as well as an ambulance and fire truck if necessary.
2. Get contact information
Get the names, phone numbers and addresses of everyone: other drivers, passengers, witnesses. Your insurance company will want this information.
3. Exchange insurance information
Give yours to the other people directly involved in the accident, and get theirs. If the driver of another vehicle isn’t the registered owner, get information on the registered owner.
4. Don’t admit any fault
Even if you feel you were at least partly to blame, don’t say so. Anything you say could be noted down and used against you later. And besides, feeling at fault doesn’t necessarily mean you ARE at fault legally.
5. When police arrive, get their names and badge numbers
Later you can also get a copy of the police report.
6. Make notes about what happened.
Note down the make and model of other vehicles involved, the weather, lighting, any statements made by other drivers or passengers. Pace out the distances between vehicles. If you have a disposable camera in your car (a good thing to have for just this sort of situation), take shots from both near and far of the relative positions of all the vehicles involved in the automobile accident, of any skid marks, vehicle damage, any relevant street signs, etc.
7. Remember that some injuries are not immediately obvious
If you’re badly injured, of course you may not be able to do all the above things, but may be taken in an ambulance. Perhaps you could call someone and ask them to help. If your injuries are minor, do try to get all the above things done. If you appear to be uninjured, remember that whiplash injuries and some back injuries have a delayed appearance. So as soon as you can, get a medical checkup and don’t ignore any symptoms, however minor they might seem.
8. Call your insurance company as soon as you can
There could be a deadline in the fine print, so don’t delay. But don’t necessarily answer all the questions they might ask. Remember that they’ll be trying to pay you as little as possible. They could even make a prompt offer, but remember that it’s a ploy to get you to accept an absurdly low amount. So keep your cards close to your chest until you speak to an attorney.
9. As soon as possible, call an attorney
If you eventually file a lawsuit, early action and information gathering will end up being greatly to your advantage.
At any law firm, lawyers can help you determine if you have grounds for any legal action, and if you do, they can help you pursue it.
African Muslims Are a HUGE Portion of Suicide Bombers- sad.....
N. Africans Joining Iraq Islamic Fighters
By TODD PITMAN, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 28 minutes ago
DAKAR, Senegal - Up to 20 percent of suicide car bombers in
Iraq are from Algeria, a sign of growing cooperation between Islamic extremists in northern Africa and like-minded Iraqis, a senior U.S. military official said Tuesday.
The American officer said terror cells in the Middle East and northern Africa were increasingly joining forces as they face crackdowns in their own countries, leading to a stepped-up flow of money and Islamic extremists to Iraq.
Forensic investigations have revealed that 20 percent of suicide car bombers in Iraq are Algerian and roughly 5 percent come from Morocco and Tunisia, according to the officer with responsibilities in Europe and Africa. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity, preferring for reasons of protocol to let U.S. commanders in Iraq speak on the record.
The majority of foreign bombers in Iraq are believed to come from countries in the Persian Gulf, mainly Saudi Arabia and Yemen, U.S. officials say.
The officer said the numbers had increased, but gave no specific figures. He said increasing efforts on the part of Algerian, Moroccan and Libyan security services to combat local terror cells have resulted in extremists joining international operations. But he warned they would later return home.
The United States has reacted by funneling more money and troops into north and northwest Africa to train and equip armies to combat the growing threat from local terror and insurgent groups like Algeria's Salafist Group for Call and Combat, which is believed to have links with
Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network and is considered a terrorist organization by the United States.
The Algerian group was accused of involvement in kidnapping 32 European tourists in the Sahara in 2003 and launching a raid into Mauritania this month that left 24 people dead.
Last week, U.S. troops from the European Command — which overseas U.S military interests in Europe and most of Africa — kicked off a two-week counterterrorism training exercise called Flintlock involving forces from Algeria, Chad, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Nigeria, Tunisia and Morocco.
The officer said north African Islamic militant groups were providing some cash to the insurgency in Iraq — about $200,000 so far, mostly funneled through Europe to Syria and into Iraq.
Underground European networks were providing more cash, while African networks were providing manpower — mostly unskilled militants used to drive and then detonate car bombs that have killed thousands.
Once in the country, extremists join up with the al-Qaida-linked network of Jordanian-born Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
Islamic militants are traveling through Turkey, into
Iran and crossing into Iraq — many times through unpoliced areas along Iraq's vast border.
A handful of Islamic fighters were believed to be returning to their home countries as well — people who can plan, work communications devices and design and set off explosives, the officer said.
America's military involvement in Africa is largely aimed at preventing terrorists from establishing sanctuaries in the region's unpoliced deserts and jungles, particularly those where Muslims are a majority.
Many local insurgent or terror groups are self-funded, he said, financing themselves via petty crime and smuggling operations. The Sahara desert's remote trade routes have long been believed a haven for human and drug traffickers.
The officer said there were no known permanent training camps in Africa. Instead, terror networks are now looking for "training opportunities" like the 1990s war zones in Bosnia,
Chechnya and Afghanistan, and Iraq today.
U.S. military involvement in Africa will soon be the largest it has been in decades, at least financially.
EUCOM pushed to expand an initial $6 million program that covered Chad, Mauritania, Niger and Mali to Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Nigeria and Senegal. Now called the Trans-Sahara Counter-Terrorism Initiative, it is to be funded with $100 million a year for five years.
By TODD PITMAN, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 28 minutes ago
DAKAR, Senegal - Up to 20 percent of suicide car bombers in
Iraq are from Algeria, a sign of growing cooperation between Islamic extremists in northern Africa and like-minded Iraqis, a senior U.S. military official said Tuesday.
The American officer said terror cells in the Middle East and northern Africa were increasingly joining forces as they face crackdowns in their own countries, leading to a stepped-up flow of money and Islamic extremists to Iraq.
Forensic investigations have revealed that 20 percent of suicide car bombers in Iraq are Algerian and roughly 5 percent come from Morocco and Tunisia, according to the officer with responsibilities in Europe and Africa. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity, preferring for reasons of protocol to let U.S. commanders in Iraq speak on the record.
The majority of foreign bombers in Iraq are believed to come from countries in the Persian Gulf, mainly Saudi Arabia and Yemen, U.S. officials say.
The officer said the numbers had increased, but gave no specific figures. He said increasing efforts on the part of Algerian, Moroccan and Libyan security services to combat local terror cells have resulted in extremists joining international operations. But he warned they would later return home.
The United States has reacted by funneling more money and troops into north and northwest Africa to train and equip armies to combat the growing threat from local terror and insurgent groups like Algeria's Salafist Group for Call and Combat, which is believed to have links with
Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network and is considered a terrorist organization by the United States.
The Algerian group was accused of involvement in kidnapping 32 European tourists in the Sahara in 2003 and launching a raid into Mauritania this month that left 24 people dead.
Last week, U.S. troops from the European Command — which overseas U.S military interests in Europe and most of Africa — kicked off a two-week counterterrorism training exercise called Flintlock involving forces from Algeria, Chad, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Nigeria, Tunisia and Morocco.
The officer said north African Islamic militant groups were providing some cash to the insurgency in Iraq — about $200,000 so far, mostly funneled through Europe to Syria and into Iraq.
Underground European networks were providing more cash, while African networks were providing manpower — mostly unskilled militants used to drive and then detonate car bombs that have killed thousands.
Once in the country, extremists join up with the al-Qaida-linked network of Jordanian-born Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
Islamic militants are traveling through Turkey, into
Iran and crossing into Iraq — many times through unpoliced areas along Iraq's vast border.
A handful of Islamic fighters were believed to be returning to their home countries as well — people who can plan, work communications devices and design and set off explosives, the officer said.
America's military involvement in Africa is largely aimed at preventing terrorists from establishing sanctuaries in the region's unpoliced deserts and jungles, particularly those where Muslims are a majority.
Many local insurgent or terror groups are self-funded, he said, financing themselves via petty crime and smuggling operations. The Sahara desert's remote trade routes have long been believed a haven for human and drug traffickers.
The officer said there were no known permanent training camps in Africa. Instead, terror networks are now looking for "training opportunities" like the 1990s war zones in Bosnia,
Chechnya and Afghanistan, and Iraq today.
U.S. military involvement in Africa will soon be the largest it has been in decades, at least financially.
EUCOM pushed to expand an initial $6 million program that covered Chad, Mauritania, Niger and Mali to Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Nigeria and Senegal. Now called the Trans-Sahara Counter-Terrorism Initiative, it is to be funded with $100 million a year for five years.
Beasties win in court....
" A Los Angeles U.S. Court of Appeals judge has determined that the Beastie Boys won't have to pass the wallet to composer James Newton, who sued the band in 2000 for looping his flute recording "Choir" in the 1992 song "Pass the Mic." Last year, the Beasties won the original case when a California court determined that the group paid ECM Records sufficiently to sample Newton's six-second, three-note sequence, and was therefore not guilty of copyright infringement. The appeals judge upheld the decision. ..."
MTV NEWS
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Beastie Boys are a group from the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Manhattan.
The Beastie Boys have had unusually long lived international critical acclaim and commercial success. They are one of the longest-lived hip-hop acts, whose rock-and-punk-influenced rap has had a significant impact on artists in and outside of the hip hop community. Their recordings and live performances often include MCing, funk, jazz and rock.
The three main members of the Beastie Boys are of Jewish heritage. They are well known for their rapidly changing and often experimental musical style (which is generally considered risky in popular music), jocular and flippant attitude toward interviews and interviewers, obscure cultural references and kitschy lyrics, and performing in highly unique matching suits.
The Beastie Boys' success has made them the highest selling hip hop group and the fourth highest selling hip hop artists behind Tupac Shakur, Eminem, and Jay-Z.
MTV NEWS
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Beastie Boys are a group from the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Manhattan.
The Beastie Boys have had unusually long lived international critical acclaim and commercial success. They are one of the longest-lived hip-hop acts, whose rock-and-punk-influenced rap has had a significant impact on artists in and outside of the hip hop community. Their recordings and live performances often include MCing, funk, jazz and rock.
The three main members of the Beastie Boys are of Jewish heritage. They are well known for their rapidly changing and often experimental musical style (which is generally considered risky in popular music), jocular and flippant attitude toward interviews and interviewers, obscure cultural references and kitschy lyrics, and performing in highly unique matching suits.
The Beastie Boys' success has made them the highest selling hip hop group and the fourth highest selling hip hop artists behind Tupac Shakur, Eminem, and Jay-Z.
Cats be lyin' to these young Iraqis to get them to do insane stuff in the name of Islam...Damn shame...
Iraqi Bombers Claim They Were Deceived
By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHARA, Associated Press Writer Fri May 27, 4:47 PM ET
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Wisam Younis' sole ambition in life, he said Friday, is to kill Americans. So he claimed surprise when he discovered his car bomb had killed eight Iraqis and wounded more than 80 outside a Baghdad restaurant. Younis and brothers Badr and Yassin Shakir are charged with murder and face the death penalty in the May 23 attack.
"We did not know that the attack would target innocent people and we were deceived. We were eluded by enthusiastic ideas and money," said Younis, barefooted and with bruised and swollen hands. An insurgent leader promised him $1,500 for the bombing, he said.
"Our doctrine is to wage jihad against the Americans," Younis, wearing a stained beige traditional robe, told an Associated Press reporter as police stood over him. "Driving out the occupiers is the demand of all Iraqis... I wish to die in the battlefield instead of prison."
Baghdad police paraded out the three Sunni Arabs to help put a face to an deadly insurgency, and to show that Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari means business with a plan to encircle Baghdad with tens of thousands of security forces.
The display also was meant to reassure a public whose discontent with the Shiite-led government has been high because of its seeming inability to provide security and crush the insurgency.
Car bombings and other violence have led to more than 650 deaths since al-Jaafari's government was announced April 28, according to an Associated Press count.
A Marine was killed while taking part in a counterinsurgency operation in Haditha, 140 miles northwest of Baghdad, the military said Friday. He died Thursday, making him the second Marine killed in Operation New Market, which involves more than 1,000 Marines, sailors and soldiers.
Two U.S. soldiers were killed Thursday when insurgents shot down their helicopter, the military said. U.S. officials were investigating the crash of the OH-58 Kiowa helicopter near Buhriz, a former Saddam Hussein stronghold north of Baghdad.
In other violence Friday, a policeman and a bystander were killed in an ambush in the northern city of Mosul, police Brig. Saeed Ahmed said.
A suicide car bomb attack on a police patrol instead killed two civilians Friday in Tikrit, 80 miles north of Baghdad, police Lt. Khudhair Ali said. Six policemen were among 18 people wounded, Dr. Mohammed al-Zubaidi said.
In Baghdad, a factory guard was killed when four mortar rounds landed on the building, said police 1st Lt. Sadoun Abdul Ridha. Four other people were wounded.
Iraqi authorities are preparing for what a U.S. general described as "a very large operation" involving more than 40,000 Iraqi police and soldiers backed by American troops and air support.
Operation Lightning has received planning and logistical support from U.S. troops who are keen to train and equip Iraqi security forces so they can eventually take over security in the capital.
"This is a significant move by the Iraqi leadership. It is a transition from a defensive posture to an offensive posture. It is raising the profile of the Iraqi security forces in pursuit of attacking terrorism in Baghdad," said U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Don Alston, spokesman for the multinational force in Iraq.
It was unclear why Defense and Interior Ministers Bayan Jabr and Saadoun al-Duleimi chose to announce the operation before it fully got under way — making it known to the insurgents it was designed to capture.
An Internet statement posted Friday in the name of the Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's al-Qaida in Iraq terrorist group challenged authorities, saying the government crackdown will "not deter (them) from fighting for God."
The statement, which could not be authenticated, apparently refers to Jabr and al-Duleimi as the "two unbeliever apostates, followers of the worshippers of the cross, (who) have announced they are deploying 40,000 cowards and apostates in Baghdad."
Operation Lightning aims to single out attackers such as the three men who police said confessed to bombing the Habayibna restaurant in a predominantly Shiite neighborhood. The bomb exploded at lunchtime when police officers usually gather at the restaurant.
"Since April 18, we have had more than 600 civilians killed, many of them specifically targeted.
Bombs are going off near elementary schools. This is wanton. They have declared war on the civilian population of Iraq," Alston said of the insurgents.
The violence, mostly targeting Iraqi security forces and Shiites, also has led to an increase in sectarian tensions. Sunni Muslims who dominated under Saddam's regime are thought to make up the core of the insurgency.
"We are displaying these criminals to show to the Iraqi people that we are working to achieve security and we are in the street determined to defeat the terrorists," said Brig. Sadiq Jaffar, head of the elite Hussein Brigade.
Younis and the brothers, both in their mid 30s, were arrested late Wednesday by Hussein Brigade forces, police said.
Police allege Badr Shakir was responsible for detonating the remote-controlled bomb while his brother was the link between his cell and the main planner, a man known as Abu Karam.
Younis, the alleged designated getaway driver, was the first to be detained, and singled out the others, police said.
____
Associated Press writers Paul Garwood and Patrick Quinn in Baghdad contributed to this report.
By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHARA, Associated Press Writer Fri May 27, 4:47 PM ET
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Wisam Younis' sole ambition in life, he said Friday, is to kill Americans. So he claimed surprise when he discovered his car bomb had killed eight Iraqis and wounded more than 80 outside a Baghdad restaurant. Younis and brothers Badr and Yassin Shakir are charged with murder and face the death penalty in the May 23 attack.
"We did not know that the attack would target innocent people and we were deceived. We were eluded by enthusiastic ideas and money," said Younis, barefooted and with bruised and swollen hands. An insurgent leader promised him $1,500 for the bombing, he said.
"Our doctrine is to wage jihad against the Americans," Younis, wearing a stained beige traditional robe, told an Associated Press reporter as police stood over him. "Driving out the occupiers is the demand of all Iraqis... I wish to die in the battlefield instead of prison."
Baghdad police paraded out the three Sunni Arabs to help put a face to an deadly insurgency, and to show that Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari means business with a plan to encircle Baghdad with tens of thousands of security forces.
The display also was meant to reassure a public whose discontent with the Shiite-led government has been high because of its seeming inability to provide security and crush the insurgency.
Car bombings and other violence have led to more than 650 deaths since al-Jaafari's government was announced April 28, according to an Associated Press count.
A Marine was killed while taking part in a counterinsurgency operation in Haditha, 140 miles northwest of Baghdad, the military said Friday. He died Thursday, making him the second Marine killed in Operation New Market, which involves more than 1,000 Marines, sailors and soldiers.
Two U.S. soldiers were killed Thursday when insurgents shot down their helicopter, the military said. U.S. officials were investigating the crash of the OH-58 Kiowa helicopter near Buhriz, a former Saddam Hussein stronghold north of Baghdad.
In other violence Friday, a policeman and a bystander were killed in an ambush in the northern city of Mosul, police Brig. Saeed Ahmed said.
A suicide car bomb attack on a police patrol instead killed two civilians Friday in Tikrit, 80 miles north of Baghdad, police Lt. Khudhair Ali said. Six policemen were among 18 people wounded, Dr. Mohammed al-Zubaidi said.
In Baghdad, a factory guard was killed when four mortar rounds landed on the building, said police 1st Lt. Sadoun Abdul Ridha. Four other people were wounded.
Iraqi authorities are preparing for what a U.S. general described as "a very large operation" involving more than 40,000 Iraqi police and soldiers backed by American troops and air support.
Operation Lightning has received planning and logistical support from U.S. troops who are keen to train and equip Iraqi security forces so they can eventually take over security in the capital.
"This is a significant move by the Iraqi leadership. It is a transition from a defensive posture to an offensive posture. It is raising the profile of the Iraqi security forces in pursuit of attacking terrorism in Baghdad," said U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Don Alston, spokesman for the multinational force in Iraq.
It was unclear why Defense and Interior Ministers Bayan Jabr and Saadoun al-Duleimi chose to announce the operation before it fully got under way — making it known to the insurgents it was designed to capture.
An Internet statement posted Friday in the name of the Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's al-Qaida in Iraq terrorist group challenged authorities, saying the government crackdown will "not deter (them) from fighting for God."
The statement, which could not be authenticated, apparently refers to Jabr and al-Duleimi as the "two unbeliever apostates, followers of the worshippers of the cross, (who) have announced they are deploying 40,000 cowards and apostates in Baghdad."
Operation Lightning aims to single out attackers such as the three men who police said confessed to bombing the Habayibna restaurant in a predominantly Shiite neighborhood. The bomb exploded at lunchtime when police officers usually gather at the restaurant.
"Since April 18, we have had more than 600 civilians killed, many of them specifically targeted.
Bombs are going off near elementary schools. This is wanton. They have declared war on the civilian population of Iraq," Alston said of the insurgents.
The violence, mostly targeting Iraqi security forces and Shiites, also has led to an increase in sectarian tensions. Sunni Muslims who dominated under Saddam's regime are thought to make up the core of the insurgency.
"We are displaying these criminals to show to the Iraqi people that we are working to achieve security and we are in the street determined to defeat the terrorists," said Brig. Sadiq Jaffar, head of the elite Hussein Brigade.
Younis and the brothers, both in their mid 30s, were arrested late Wednesday by Hussein Brigade forces, police said.
Police allege Badr Shakir was responsible for detonating the remote-controlled bomb while his brother was the link between his cell and the main planner, a man known as Abu Karam.
Younis, the alleged designated getaway driver, was the first to be detained, and singled out the others, police said.
____
Associated Press writers Paul Garwood and Patrick Quinn in Baghdad contributed to this report.
I'm on a serious peace vibe today. It's all about this black apricot tea with raw honey, grilled fish and yoga...
Not to mention a little chess. I have been overwhelmed by my own thoughts. The stress of finishing Volume 2 of my book. I have not been training at a jiu jtisu academy lately. Chess it overtaking the passion that was/is still jiu jitz.
My mind have been so unfocused....Add to that allergies knocking' me out the box and it all adds up to one sad soldier.
So, I'm gonna chill with ym daughter today. Go grab the new season 2 Samurai Jack DVD and marinte with my family tonight.
Right before I take on a big project, I get into freeze mode...
It's not about writers block...
It's fear...
Can I really write?
Will people like Vol. 2 like the did Vol. 1?
The mind ties itself up in a knot of doubt, hesitation and fear of the unknown...
I got sick last night...
That was weak...
I gotta go to the post office....
I gotta get centered though...
I can't keep this up...
We writers are so moody...
PRT, was in town- I missed it...
Sway and Tech had HELLA fools in town, Chino XL, Rhymefest, Talib- missed it...
So, I need a pick me up...
Time to get my prayer on...
I think some yoga some tea, and some grilled fish and some Samurai Jack is just what the Dr. ordered....
It's time to go within....
- Holla at a sick scholar
My mind have been so unfocused....Add to that allergies knocking' me out the box and it all adds up to one sad soldier.
So, I'm gonna chill with ym daughter today. Go grab the new season 2 Samurai Jack DVD and marinte with my family tonight.
Right before I take on a big project, I get into freeze mode...
It's not about writers block...
It's fear...
Can I really write?
Will people like Vol. 2 like the did Vol. 1?
The mind ties itself up in a knot of doubt, hesitation and fear of the unknown...
I got sick last night...
That was weak...
I gotta go to the post office....
I gotta get centered though...
I can't keep this up...
We writers are so moody...
PRT, was in town- I missed it...
Sway and Tech had HELLA fools in town, Chino XL, Rhymefest, Talib- missed it...
So, I need a pick me up...
Time to get my prayer on...
I think some yoga some tea, and some grilled fish and some Samurai Jack is just what the Dr. ordered....
It's time to go within....
- Holla at a sick scholar
Yeah dude, I dunno if you heard but uuuuh, THE WAR IS OVER!!!!!
Japan Says WWII Soldiers in Philippines
By TERESA CEROJANO, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 19 minutes ago
MANILA, Philippines - Japanese diplomats investigated claims Friday that two former Japanese soldiers have been hiding in the mountains of the southern Philippines since World War II.
The health ministry, in charge of repatriating Japanese overseas, said it was sending an official to the southern Philippine city of General Santos on Saturday to join Japanese embassy officials attempting to reach the pair.
The diplomats failed in their attempt Friday to arrange a meeting with the two men, officials said, and were left waiting in a hotel in the port city 600 miles south of Manila. They were scheduling another meeting Saturday through a Japanese mediator who had contacted the mission.
"We are doing our best to contact the mediator. ... We will just continue to wait. We hope there will be new developments tonight or tomorrow," Japanese Consul Seiichi Ogawa said.
Yu Kameoka, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's spokesman, said in Tokyo the two men apparently were reluctant to meet with officials because of the large number of people, including reporters, waiting to see them.
"According to a man who is mediating, the two men are rather worried about meeting with so many people gathered in General Santos, including those from the media," he said, adding no time has been set for a meeting.
Media reports in Japan said the two octogenarians lived on the southern island of Mindanao and used equipment suggesting they were former soldiers, with one report saying they were separated from their division and later wanted to return to Japan but feared they would face a court-martial.
Koizumi said in Tokyo he hoped the mystery would be cleared up soon. "We are checking it now," he told reporters. "It is a surprise if it's true, but we have to check first."
Goichi Ichikawa, the chairman of a veterans group in Japan, said he first alerted the Tokyo government of reports about the men in February, asking that they be rescued as soon as possible.
Ichikawa said he learned of at least three Japanese men living in the mountains of Mindanao from someone who went there late last year.
"It's amazing they were able to survive for 60 years," Ichikawa told reporters in the Japanese city of Osaka. "Of course I was stunned."
In September, a Japanese national in the lumber business ran into the men in the mountains, the Japanese newspaper Sankei Shimbun reported. It was learned later that they wanted to go back to Japan but were afraid of facing a court-martial for withdrawing from action, the newspaper said.
Another source told the paper there may be more than 40 other Japanese soldiers living in the mountains, and they all want to return to Japan, the Sankei said.
Japan's Kyodo News agency said the two may be Yoshio Yamakawa, 87, and Tsuzuki Nakauchi, 83. But the health ministry declined to confirm the report, saying they could not disclose any information until officials have identified them.
Embassy officials "want to meet directly with those two persons to find out if they are really Japanese soldiers, (and to find out details) beginning with their names and age," official Masaru Watanabe said.
By TERESA CEROJANO, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 19 minutes ago
MANILA, Philippines - Japanese diplomats investigated claims Friday that two former Japanese soldiers have been hiding in the mountains of the southern Philippines since World War II.
The health ministry, in charge of repatriating Japanese overseas, said it was sending an official to the southern Philippine city of General Santos on Saturday to join Japanese embassy officials attempting to reach the pair.
The diplomats failed in their attempt Friday to arrange a meeting with the two men, officials said, and were left waiting in a hotel in the port city 600 miles south of Manila. They were scheduling another meeting Saturday through a Japanese mediator who had contacted the mission.
"We are doing our best to contact the mediator. ... We will just continue to wait. We hope there will be new developments tonight or tomorrow," Japanese Consul Seiichi Ogawa said.
Yu Kameoka, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's spokesman, said in Tokyo the two men apparently were reluctant to meet with officials because of the large number of people, including reporters, waiting to see them.
"According to a man who is mediating, the two men are rather worried about meeting with so many people gathered in General Santos, including those from the media," he said, adding no time has been set for a meeting.
Media reports in Japan said the two octogenarians lived on the southern island of Mindanao and used equipment suggesting they were former soldiers, with one report saying they were separated from their division and later wanted to return to Japan but feared they would face a court-martial.
Koizumi said in Tokyo he hoped the mystery would be cleared up soon. "We are checking it now," he told reporters. "It is a surprise if it's true, but we have to check first."
Goichi Ichikawa, the chairman of a veterans group in Japan, said he first alerted the Tokyo government of reports about the men in February, asking that they be rescued as soon as possible.
Ichikawa said he learned of at least three Japanese men living in the mountains of Mindanao from someone who went there late last year.
"It's amazing they were able to survive for 60 years," Ichikawa told reporters in the Japanese city of Osaka. "Of course I was stunned."
In September, a Japanese national in the lumber business ran into the men in the mountains, the Japanese newspaper Sankei Shimbun reported. It was learned later that they wanted to go back to Japan but were afraid of facing a court-martial for withdrawing from action, the newspaper said.
Another source told the paper there may be more than 40 other Japanese soldiers living in the mountains, and they all want to return to Japan, the Sankei said.
Japan's Kyodo News agency said the two may be Yoshio Yamakawa, 87, and Tsuzuki Nakauchi, 83. But the health ministry declined to confirm the report, saying they could not disclose any information until officials have identified them.
Embassy officials "want to meet directly with those two persons to find out if they are really Japanese soldiers, (and to find out details) beginning with their names and age," official Masaru Watanabe said.
Let me tell you something...When God wants to knock you down, you gitz knocked the F!@# down- aiiight? but i aint mad at good architecture..
Engineers Design Tsunami-Resistant Homes
By MIKE KUNZELMAN, Associated Press Writer Fri May 27,10:34 AM ET
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Not long after the devastating December tsunami, a team of structural engineers from London visited Sri Lanka and noticed a trend as they surveyed destroyed homes: Walls facing the sea were leveled, while those perpendicular to it were standing.
That inspired a group of researchers from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology' Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University to design what they're calling a "tsunami-safe(r) house" that is less likely to collapse under wind and pounding surf.
Instead of having four solid walls, the tsunami-resistant houses have thick concrete-block corners and exterior walls made of bamboo. The houses, about 80 of which have already been built, are designed to be built on top of blocks of concrete or wood, one or two feet above the ground.
The design allows waves to wash through the bamboo walls while the concrete structure of the house remains standing, said Carlo Ratti, director of MIT's Senseable City Laboratory.
"Of course, you would have water in the house, and there is no way to avoid that, but the houses will be much more resilient," Ratti said.
Buro Happold, a London-based engineering firm, used computer models to show that the houses would be five times more resistant to a tsunami than Sri Lanka's traditional homes.
"When the wave comes through, the water flushes everything out, but the walls remain standing," said Domenico del Re, a structural engineer at Buro Happold.
The design is for a home measuring about 400 square feet that would cost roughly $1,200 to build. It was designed to be made from materials readily available in Sri Lanka.
By MIKE KUNZELMAN, Associated Press Writer Fri May 27,10:34 AM ET
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Not long after the devastating December tsunami, a team of structural engineers from London visited Sri Lanka and noticed a trend as they surveyed destroyed homes: Walls facing the sea were leveled, while those perpendicular to it were standing.
That inspired a group of researchers from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology' Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University to design what they're calling a "tsunami-safe(r) house" that is less likely to collapse under wind and pounding surf.
Instead of having four solid walls, the tsunami-resistant houses have thick concrete-block corners and exterior walls made of bamboo. The houses, about 80 of which have already been built, are designed to be built on top of blocks of concrete or wood, one or two feet above the ground.
The design allows waves to wash through the bamboo walls while the concrete structure of the house remains standing, said Carlo Ratti, director of MIT's Senseable City Laboratory.
"Of course, you would have water in the house, and there is no way to avoid that, but the houses will be much more resilient," Ratti said.
Buro Happold, a London-based engineering firm, used computer models to show that the houses would be five times more resistant to a tsunami than Sri Lanka's traditional homes.
"When the wave comes through, the water flushes everything out, but the walls remain standing," said Domenico del Re, a structural engineer at Buro Happold.
The design is for a home measuring about 400 square feet that would cost roughly $1,200 to build. It was designed to be made from materials readily available in Sri Lanka.
Dude makes some killer point.....*sigh* either that, or he's old....like me *sigh*
THE BARBERSHOP NOTEBOOKS: Why Hip-Hop Sucks, Part 1[27 May 2005]
by Marc Lamont Hill http://popmatters.com/columns/hill/050527.shtml
Hip-Hop sucks. There, I've said it. After years of ignoring my feelings and hoping that things would change with the next album, video, or artist, I have finally accepted the fact that hip-hop simply isn't good anymore. The swagger is gone. Hip-hop is still cool but it's no longer fly. It's still hot but it's no longer dope. Most important, hip-hop is no longer fun. I can't say for sure when it happened, but somewhere between Wu-Tang's grimy "Protect Ya Neck" and the Ying Yang Twins' disgusting "Whisper Song", hip-hop became boring and predictable.To be sure, my disaffection is likely a natural response to having recently suffered the indignity of turning to the local urban radio station and discovering that one of the songs that I listened to in high school had been relegated to the "old school lunch hour".
Consequently, like any newly made hip-hop "old head", I now invoke a degree of nostalgia in order to protect my most precious memories of the recent past from what Stuart Hall calls the "tyranny of the new". As such, I must hate a little on the new stuff in order to keep the old stuff fully relevant and valuable to me.Nevertheless, I maintain that we have reached a low point in hip-hop culture. But unlike most of my friends who have elected for early retirement from hip-hop fandom, I am not content to simply walk away in a self-righteous huff. Instead, I am willing to put my issues on the table in the small hope that things can turn around. After all, unlike Common, I still love H.E.R. I just can't find H.E.R.In this recurring series, I provide some of my explanations for hip-hop's decline. Moving beyond the more frequently discussed issues like wanton materialism, female objectification, or corporate co-optation, I point to some equally critical issues within hip-hop that have pushed me to this point.
Here goes:Where my girls at?Although hip-hop has always been a hyper-masculine boys club, quality female representation has dipped to an all-time low. No one has picked up the baton once carried by MC Lyte, Queen Latifah, or Salt n' Pepa and successfully run with it. Even the sex driven (and often ghostwritten) acts of Lil' Kim and Foxy Brown have been reproduced as uninteresting caricatures like Khia and Trina. While Missy Elliot's creativity and old school flavor keep the music fun, her lyrical abilities are drastically sub-par. Artists like Bahamadia and Jean Grae keep the underground alive with their top shelf skills, but their lack of selling power makes it difficult for them to start a movement. Our brightest hope was Lauryn Hill before (she became) Unplugged, when she ranked among the illest MCs on the planet, male or female. Word on the street is that she's on the road to personal and lyrical recovery. We'll keep our fingers crossed.
They don't freestyle no mo'Not so long ago, freestyling was a centerpiece of hip-hop culture. In order to be considered a complete MC, an individual had to be literally battle tested in the world of improvisational rhyming. Until the mid-'90s, the mixtape market, live shows, and local ciphers all served as fertile sites for freestyle raps from both seasoned veterans and hungry up-and-comers. Today, mixtape and live show "freestyles" are little more than album pre-releases and verses retrieved from the cutting room floor. Even worse, many underground and national rap venues (like BET's Freestyle Friday) privilege predictable one liners, insults, and clearly rehearsed verses over the raw, perfect imperfections of an authentic freestyle. There are exceptions, of course, like Toni Blackman's "Freestyle Union" movement, as well as rappers like Common who aren't scared to drop a verse from the dome in front of thousands. Nevertheless, the future of the freestyle is pretty grim.Manufactured rap warsLike the freestyle, MC battles have been the lifeblood of hip-hop culture since the '80s.
LL Cool J vs. Kool Moe Dee, Roxanne Shante vs. Real Roxanne, KRS One vs. MC Shan, and most recently Nas vs. Jay-Z, have all marked highpoints in hip-hop history. While there is certainly no shortage of battles in today's rap world, there has been a dramatic shift in the quality, authenticity, and motivations for the latest rap wars. Since the overwhelming commercial success of the Nas vs. Jay-Z feud, it seems that every new MC must find someone to beef with in order to make his or her mark and boost record sales.
Perhaps the most transparent example of this is 50 Cent, who managed to stir controversy with Nas, R. Kelly, Fat Joe, Jadakiss, and Game right around the time of his album release date. In addition to the WWF-esque feel of the battles, the lyrical quality of the latest feuds has waned considerably. Instead of engaging a spirited game of the dozens filled with personal and professional disses, most rappers use the songs as a space to make personal threats and air dirty laundry.
For this reason, it is no surprise that so many of today's beefs have extended beyond the songs and into the streets.The Superproducer While hip-hop has always had its share of elite producers, the last 10 years have given birth to a new breed of "superproducers". Beginning with the ever-present P. Diddy (née Puff Daddy), this group of overexposed hit men has moved from behind the boards and into the videos and songs of their artists. Superproducers like the Neptunes (particularly Pharrell) and Kanye West have become so large and appear so frequently on the songs they produce that they almost always overshadow their artists. Furthermore, superproducers have created sounds so distinctive and, as of late, predictable that the hip-hop Top-40 sounds like one big remix album.
For example, even Lil Jon' himself would have difficulty distinguishing between the beats for his 2004 mega-hits "Freek-a-leek" and "Yeah!" Another consequence of this sonic oligarchy has been the construction of barriers for many talented young producers to gain access to the big stage because of their lack of star power or failure to reproduce the sounds de jour. The only viable alternative for many is to serve as a ghost-producer for the giants of the day and patiently wait for a chance to get noticed. The only catch is that the role of ghostproducer requires them to constrain much of their own creativity in order to approximate the sounds of the super-producer. The rich get richer . . .To Be Continued.
***
Marc Lamont Hill is one of the youngest members of the growing body of "Hip-Hop Intellectuals" in the country. His work, which covers topics such as hip-hop culture, sexuality, education, and politics, has appeared in numerous journals, magazines, books, and anthologies. In 2005, he was named by Ebony Magazine as one of Black America's 30 future leaders. He is currently working on several book projects, including New Dilemmas of the Black Intellectual (with Gregory Seaton), Media, Learning, and Sites of Possibility (with Lalitha Vasudevan), and a book of African American cultural criticism. Marc Lamont Hill is an assistant professor of Urban Education and African American Studies at Temple University. Trained as an anthropologist of education, he holds a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.
by Marc Lamont Hill http://popmatters.com/columns/hill/050527.shtml
Hip-Hop sucks. There, I've said it. After years of ignoring my feelings and hoping that things would change with the next album, video, or artist, I have finally accepted the fact that hip-hop simply isn't good anymore. The swagger is gone. Hip-hop is still cool but it's no longer fly. It's still hot but it's no longer dope. Most important, hip-hop is no longer fun. I can't say for sure when it happened, but somewhere between Wu-Tang's grimy "Protect Ya Neck" and the Ying Yang Twins' disgusting "Whisper Song", hip-hop became boring and predictable.To be sure, my disaffection is likely a natural response to having recently suffered the indignity of turning to the local urban radio station and discovering that one of the songs that I listened to in high school had been relegated to the "old school lunch hour".
Consequently, like any newly made hip-hop "old head", I now invoke a degree of nostalgia in order to protect my most precious memories of the recent past from what Stuart Hall calls the "tyranny of the new". As such, I must hate a little on the new stuff in order to keep the old stuff fully relevant and valuable to me.Nevertheless, I maintain that we have reached a low point in hip-hop culture. But unlike most of my friends who have elected for early retirement from hip-hop fandom, I am not content to simply walk away in a self-righteous huff. Instead, I am willing to put my issues on the table in the small hope that things can turn around. After all, unlike Common, I still love H.E.R. I just can't find H.E.R.In this recurring series, I provide some of my explanations for hip-hop's decline. Moving beyond the more frequently discussed issues like wanton materialism, female objectification, or corporate co-optation, I point to some equally critical issues within hip-hop that have pushed me to this point.
Here goes:Where my girls at?Although hip-hop has always been a hyper-masculine boys club, quality female representation has dipped to an all-time low. No one has picked up the baton once carried by MC Lyte, Queen Latifah, or Salt n' Pepa and successfully run with it. Even the sex driven (and often ghostwritten) acts of Lil' Kim and Foxy Brown have been reproduced as uninteresting caricatures like Khia and Trina. While Missy Elliot's creativity and old school flavor keep the music fun, her lyrical abilities are drastically sub-par. Artists like Bahamadia and Jean Grae keep the underground alive with their top shelf skills, but their lack of selling power makes it difficult for them to start a movement. Our brightest hope was Lauryn Hill before (she became) Unplugged, when she ranked among the illest MCs on the planet, male or female. Word on the street is that she's on the road to personal and lyrical recovery. We'll keep our fingers crossed.
They don't freestyle no mo'Not so long ago, freestyling was a centerpiece of hip-hop culture. In order to be considered a complete MC, an individual had to be literally battle tested in the world of improvisational rhyming. Until the mid-'90s, the mixtape market, live shows, and local ciphers all served as fertile sites for freestyle raps from both seasoned veterans and hungry up-and-comers. Today, mixtape and live show "freestyles" are little more than album pre-releases and verses retrieved from the cutting room floor. Even worse, many underground and national rap venues (like BET's Freestyle Friday) privilege predictable one liners, insults, and clearly rehearsed verses over the raw, perfect imperfections of an authentic freestyle. There are exceptions, of course, like Toni Blackman's "Freestyle Union" movement, as well as rappers like Common who aren't scared to drop a verse from the dome in front of thousands. Nevertheless, the future of the freestyle is pretty grim.Manufactured rap warsLike the freestyle, MC battles have been the lifeblood of hip-hop culture since the '80s.
LL Cool J vs. Kool Moe Dee, Roxanne Shante vs. Real Roxanne, KRS One vs. MC Shan, and most recently Nas vs. Jay-Z, have all marked highpoints in hip-hop history. While there is certainly no shortage of battles in today's rap world, there has been a dramatic shift in the quality, authenticity, and motivations for the latest rap wars. Since the overwhelming commercial success of the Nas vs. Jay-Z feud, it seems that every new MC must find someone to beef with in order to make his or her mark and boost record sales.
Perhaps the most transparent example of this is 50 Cent, who managed to stir controversy with Nas, R. Kelly, Fat Joe, Jadakiss, and Game right around the time of his album release date. In addition to the WWF-esque feel of the battles, the lyrical quality of the latest feuds has waned considerably. Instead of engaging a spirited game of the dozens filled with personal and professional disses, most rappers use the songs as a space to make personal threats and air dirty laundry.
For this reason, it is no surprise that so many of today's beefs have extended beyond the songs and into the streets.The Superproducer While hip-hop has always had its share of elite producers, the last 10 years have given birth to a new breed of "superproducers". Beginning with the ever-present P. Diddy (née Puff Daddy), this group of overexposed hit men has moved from behind the boards and into the videos and songs of their artists. Superproducers like the Neptunes (particularly Pharrell) and Kanye West have become so large and appear so frequently on the songs they produce that they almost always overshadow their artists. Furthermore, superproducers have created sounds so distinctive and, as of late, predictable that the hip-hop Top-40 sounds like one big remix album.
For example, even Lil Jon' himself would have difficulty distinguishing between the beats for his 2004 mega-hits "Freek-a-leek" and "Yeah!" Another consequence of this sonic oligarchy has been the construction of barriers for many talented young producers to gain access to the big stage because of their lack of star power or failure to reproduce the sounds de jour. The only viable alternative for many is to serve as a ghost-producer for the giants of the day and patiently wait for a chance to get noticed. The only catch is that the role of ghostproducer requires them to constrain much of their own creativity in order to approximate the sounds of the super-producer. The rich get richer . . .To Be Continued.
***
Marc Lamont Hill is one of the youngest members of the growing body of "Hip-Hop Intellectuals" in the country. His work, which covers topics such as hip-hop culture, sexuality, education, and politics, has appeared in numerous journals, magazines, books, and anthologies. In 2005, he was named by Ebony Magazine as one of Black America's 30 future leaders. He is currently working on several book projects, including New Dilemmas of the Black Intellectual (with Gregory Seaton), Media, Learning, and Sites of Possibility (with Lalitha Vasudevan), and a book of African American cultural criticism. Marc Lamont Hill is an assistant professor of Urban Education and African American Studies at Temple University. Trained as an anthropologist of education, he holds a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.
VERY interesting report by the U.S. Army on Islam and warfare (take your time and read it all)
"U.S. forces, particularly those involved in psychological operations, need to be educated in aspects of Islamic history, law, and culture. As Islamic militants quote and violently interpret verses from the Quran and hadith, U.S. and allied forces should not plead ignorance, but achieve a higher level of familiarity with religious and other aspects of Muslim culture. U.S. and allied forces may better comprehend the specific dilemmas of our Muslim allies if they are familiar with the messages of jihadist and moderate Islam. Alternatively, they should consult experts who are well-versed in these matters."
"When the Prophet Muhammad finally realized his role as a Messenger of God, he taught and preached nonviolently for 14 years in the midst of a hostile Meccan population. He and his followers were subjected to hatred, persecution, and violence. Finally, the Prophet and his followers were invited to migrate to a new community, Yathrib, that would become the city of Medina. The people of Yathrib extended that invitation as they wanted the Prophet to adjudicate their disputes. The Muslims were not safe there, however, and fought their Meccan enemies until they defeated them, next expanding to threaten and then defeat the Sassanians and eastern provinces of the Roman empire. During this period, Islam's first principles of war developed."
-U.S. Army Report on Islamic Warfare
***
So interesting how WELL the government understands Islamic theology and philosophy...Yet, virtually every step they make in the Muslim word is flawed, or seemingly antagonistic....
***
"When the Prophet Muhammad finally realized his role as a Messenger of God, he taught and preached nonviolently for 14 years in the midst of a hostile Meccan population. He and his followers were subjected to hatred, persecution, and violence. Finally, the Prophet and his followers were invited to migrate to a new community, Yathrib, that would become the city of Medina. The people of Yathrib extended that invitation as they wanted the Prophet to adjudicate their disputes. The Muslims were not safe there, however, and fought their Meccan enemies until they defeated them, next expanding to threaten and then defeat the Sassanians and eastern provinces of the Roman empire. During this period, Islam's first principles of war developed."
-U.S. Army Report on Islamic Warfare
***
So interesting how WELL the government understands Islamic theology and philosophy...Yet, virtually every step they make in the Muslim word is flawed, or seemingly antagonistic....
***
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