Minnesota Cops, School District: OK to Use Tasers On Students

Superior Daily Telegram
February 08, 2008

Superior High School scored a dubious first last week when law enforcement officers subdued a student with a Taser stun gun.

The electronic devices have been part of the Superior Police Department’s arsenal for the past two years. Last week, Officer Jeff Darst was the first to deploy one in a school. The target was a 15-year-old boy.

Assistant Police Chief Chuck LaGesse called the Taser’s use reasonable as officers and school administrators struggled to gain control of a violent situation.

“I’m not uncomfortable with it,” school district Superintendent Jay Mitchell said. He said officers used necessary means to defuse a difficult situation.

“In this particular case, the young man involved was out of control,” Mitchell said.

The Taser, a brand name for a stun gun that can propel electrodes toward its intended subject, wasn’t fired.

“They used it as more of a stun gun to get his attention,” Mitchell said.

The teen, who stands 6 feet tall and weighs more than 300 pounds, was not injured by the incident, according to police reports.

“He appeared fine, and there was very little, if any, sign of Taser use on his right back area,” Darst wrote in his report.

An electronic control device like a Taser transmits electrical pulses that lock up skeletal muscles during the few seconds it is applied. Barbs are either shot out of the gun to hook into the suspect’s clothing or skin, or the gun is placed close to the skin causing a stun effect. The Superior Police Department’s X26 and older M26 Tasers pack 50,000 volts but only a fraction of an amp.

“Amperage is what makes electricity deadly,” LaGesse said.

The department deploys its Tasers about 20 times a year, on average, and every officer is trained to use them.

LaGesse said use of the device at a school is uncommon and generally unnecessary, but not prohibited.

According to Superior police reports, the incident started when the student began swearing at staff members and refusing to follow directions. When School Liaison Officer Tom Johnson was called to Assistant Principal Steve Olson’s office to issue the 15-year-old a citation, problems escalated. The boy tried to leave and swung at Johnson when the officer stopped him, according to reports. Johnson placed the boy up against the wall with the help of Olson and Assistant Principal Bill Punyko. By that point, Johnson wrote in his report, the boy “was totally out of control … flailing his arms and trying to either hit us and/or get away.”

The three adults brought him to the floor, but the boy continued to fight. He repeatedly kicked Johnson in the lower back and tried to bite both school officials, reports stated.

Johnson called in more officers to help prevent the boy from hurting himself or the adults. Three officers responded and Darst deployed the Taser as they struggled to apply handcuffs. The boy complied after the stun was applied.

At the point when officers entered the room, LaGesse said, they had other options to gain control — using pressure points, pepper spray or a baton.

“All of these are more likely to create injury than a Taser,” LaGesse said.

Electronic control devices are not governed by the state of Wisconsin.

“We don’t have any mandate at the moment,” said Ken Hammond, law enforcement education director for the Wisconsin Department of Justice Training and Standards Bureau.

While the bureau does offer sample policies on its Web site, he said, “Policies are a matter of home rule and local control.”

Superior’s policy on the use of nonlethal force places Tasers on the same level as pepper spray. They may be deployed to control a dangerous or violent person when other tactics have been ineffective or the officer believes other options would be either unsafe or ineffective.

“Our guidelines take into consideration: ‘What do you need to do to establish control?’ Age is really secondary,” LaGesse said.

Use of Tasers by law enforcement officers is not prohibited by Superior school district policies.

“When police take over, they do whatever they think is necessary,” Mitchell said. Crafting a policy to prevent Taser use, he said, would be like tying the hands of police officers.

“Having a person out of control, trying to deal with him and not hurt him is a difficult situation to be in,” Mitchell said.

The Duluth school district would frown on the use of Tasers in its schools, Superintendent Keith Dixon said Thursday.

“We don’t necessarily have a policy at this time,” Dixon said, “but [Duluth Police Chief] Gordon Ramsey and I have talked about it, and in our judgment Tasers are not an appropriate use in our schools. I don’t know what happened in Superior, but in our discussions we just see too many downsides and we don’t want them in our buildings. … I know he has informed his officers of that, so that is where we are at on the issue right now.”

The 15-year-old was arrested on charges of battery to a law enforcement officer, attempted battery to school officials, resisting an officer and disorderly conduct. He was then released to his mother.

Let us talk to Sept 11 planner, U.S. lawyers ask

By Jane Sutton

GUANTANAMO BAY U.S. NAVAL BASE, Cuba (Reuters) - Military lawyers defending Osama bin Laden's former driver on terrorism charges in the U.S. war court at Guantanamo Bay have offered a compromise in their quest to interview September 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

They promised not to ask Mohammed about his treatment in U.S. custody or about the CIA's admission that it subjected him to a simulated drowning technique known as "waterboarding" during interrogations.

Bin Laden's former driver, Salim Ahmed Hamdan, was captured in Afghanistan in November 2001 and faces life in prison if convicted in the Guantanamo court of conspiring with al Qaeda and providing material support for terrorism.

The Yemeni man said he never joined al Qaeda, had no advance knowledge of its attacks and became bin Laden's driver in Afghanistan because he needed the salary of $200 per month.

Hamdan's lawyers said Mohammed -- the highest-ranking al Qaeda leader held at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba -- can help their defense by telling them what role, if any, Hamdan had in the organization.

They likened it to somebody "on trial for organized crime and you've got the opportunity to bring in the godfather."

The request was still pending when a pretrial hearing ended on Thursday but the military judge suggested he might at least let the lawyers question Mohammed via written notes.

The judge is expected to rule in the next couple of weeks and Hamdan is scheduled to go to trial in May. So far, only one captive -- an Australian man -- has been convicted by the widely criticized court and that was in a plea bargain.

TOO DANGEROUS

Prosecutors said Mohammed, accused of masterminding the attacks on the United States by al Qaeda militants on September 11, 2001, was too dangerous an enemy in an ongoing war to allow defense lawyers to go on "a fishing expedition."

"The defense is asking for access to some of the most notorious terrorists the world has ever seen," said one of the prosecutors, Air Force Lt. Col. William Britt.

There was a risk of endangering U.S. agents if Mohammed revealed to the defense lawyers the sources and methods the government used to get information from him, prosecutors said.

The CIA has acknowledged using waterboarding, which critics say is a form of illegal torture, on Mohammed and two other senior al Qaeda leaders who were later sent to Guantanamo.

The defense lawyers, one of whom has top clearance to view government secrets, said they disapproved of waterboarding but would not ask Mohammed about it or about anything that occurred after the September 11 attacks.

Mohammed is one of 15 "high-value" al Qaeda prisoners held separately from the other 260 non-U.S. captives at Guantanamo in a facility whose location is kept secret even from the officers who run the other detention camps.

Prosecutors also objected to defense requests to question six other high-value prisoners.

"Equally wrapped up in secret tape, eh?" asked the judge, Navy Capt. Keith Allred.

He said the defense had shown adequate need to question Mohammed and suggested they conduct the interview via written questions and answers, which the prosecutors also opposed.

The United States set up the Guantanamo tribunals to try suspected terrorists after the September 11 attacks but so far, none of the handful of prisoners facing charges has been accused of direct involvement in the attacks.

No defense lawyer has been allowed access to the high-value group, which was brought to Guantanamo in 2006 after about three years in secret CIA custody.

One of Hamdan's lawyers, retired Navy Lt. Cmdr. Charles Swift, said that raised a crucial question about U.S. plans to try those important figures.

"Who is going to represent Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and when will his trial be?" Swift said. (Editing by John O'Callaghan)

Home rates hit 9% but some savers will lose out

Jacob Saulwick
February 8, 2008
AP

BANK mortgage rates have hit 9 per cent for the first time in a decade, as the Federal Government finalises a plan to help customers switch bank accounts.

The Treasurer, Wayne Swan, will meet top economic advisers today to finalise the plan. The meeting comes as banks continue to pass on this week's Reserve Bank interest rate rise. St George Bank lifted variable mortgage rates by 0.25 percentage points to 9.02 per cent, while Westpac pushed rates up by the same amount, to 8.97 per cent.

AMP lifted its variable mortgage rate to 9.02 per cent after a 0.33 percentage point rise, 0.08 percentage points more than the official increase. NAB, which last month was the first bank to raise rates apart from official increases, continued last night to declare rates under review.

But some customers will miss out on higher deposit rates, as banks elect not to pass on the full rate rise to all deposit accounts.

The Government's plan, which could be unveiled today, is expected to force banks into helping customers switch their automatic credit and debit payments when they want to switch banks.

Consumer advocates said any changes making it easier to organise direct debits and credits would be long overdue.

Elissa Freeman, a policy officer with the consumer advocate Choice, said people could have up to 20 direct payments linked to their accounts, such as phone bills, council rates, gym membership, or E-Toll, where there is no choice but to use direct debit. "At the moment when consumers switch accounts they are required to get in touch with every direct debitor and creditor and inform them."

She said that when customers switched accounts in Britain the old bank was required to pass on the account details to the new bank.

Mr Swan has repeatedly called on customers to change banks if they are unhappy with banks raising rates.

Denis Orrock, the managing director of the consumer group InfoChoice, said Australian customers switched bank accounts less than in other countries. "You see inertia often quoted as the reason. But a lot of that apathy is based around the hassle."

Westpac yesterday pushed up deposit rates by 0.3 percentage points on some savings accounts, but St George and Bendigo Bank raised interest rates on some deposit accounts by less than the Reserve's increase.

It is understood Mr Swan's review is unlikely to tackle exit or "deferred establishment" fees. These fees are a big impediment to switching accounts, because they can hit customers with a bill for thousands of dollars when they opt out in the early years of a loan.

Today Mr Swan will meet the Council of Financial Regulators, whose members include the Treasury secretary, Ken Henry, the Reserve Bank governor, Glenn Stevens, and the chairman of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, Tony D'Aloisio.

Lenders are criticised as cut in interest rate fails to curb mortgage levels

Times Online

Banks and building societies came under pressure last night to do more to pass on the Bank of England’s quarter-point cut in interest rates, announced yesterday, to a wider number of borrowers. Even if mortgage rates were cut, homeowners would continue to see the cost of their loans rising, economists said.

Although many lenders announced that they would pass on the base-rate cut to borrowers, mortgage brokers said that recent increases in mortgage rates could wipe out potential savings.

The rate cut, the second in three months, seemed modest after the rate cuts in the US last month when the Federal Reserve cut the cost of borrowing by a total of 1.25 percentage points. But it sent out a clear signal that the Bank of England was taking a cautious approach.

Mortgage brokers said that banks and building societies — including Bradford & Bingley, Nationwide and Intelligent Finance — had increased the cost of tracker mortgages for new borrowers by up to 0.55 per cent over recent weeks in an attempt to offset this month’s interest-rate cut.

Halifax, NatWest, Woolwich, Abbey, Nationwide and HSBC said that they would cut their rates by a quarter point, but brokers suggested that this was effectively an empty gesture, because relatively few borrowers were on deals linked to their lender’s standard variable rate.

Other lenders were slower to respond. Many of the lenders that failed to pass on December’s quarter-point rate cut, including Alliance & Leicester and Skipton Building Society, refused to confirm that they would pass on the rate cut this time round.

Brokers blamed chronic funding shortages among lenders in the aftermath of the credit crunch for the reluctance to pass on the cut, as well as the recent increases in the cost of borrowing. Even lenders with strong balance sheets will be unable to pass on the full benefit to borrowers because they cannot cope with demand. Ray Boulger, of John Charcol, the mortgage broker, said: “The bad news for mortgage borrowers is that bank rate cuts have increasingly less of an influence on their pockets.”

Even the lenders’ trade body gave warning that borrowers should not expect lower mortgage bills. Michael Coogan, director-general of the Council of Mortgage Lenders, said: “Borrowers should not expect that a base-rate reduction will automatically result in a cut in standard variable rates or discounted rates. Lenders’ rate-setting policies are more complex than simply the level of the base rate.”

Borrowers already locked into a tracker deal will benefit from the rate cut, however. Those with a £250,000 mortgage pegged at the base rate will see their bills shrink by £444 a year. The 55 per cent of borrowers on fixed-rate deals will be unaffected.

Julia Harris, of moneyfacts.co.uk, the comparison site, said: “Lenders are trying to ensure they continue to make a profit and reduce their risk. Anyone looking to take advantage of the drop in rates by going for a tracker rate is not going to get as low a rate as they perhaps had hoped.”

The Bank of England’s rate cut came with a warning of increasingly challenging economic conditions. In a statement, the Bank said: “Credit conditions for households and businesses are tightening. Consumer spending growth appears to have eased . . . and business surveys suggest that further slowing is in prospect.”

But the Bank was unable to cut rates further because of inflationary pressures. It pointed to the rising cost of energy and food. The Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee had access to the most recent inflation figures, due to be released publicly next week, during their deliberations.

The rate cut was not enough to revive confidence in the markets. The FTSE dropped by more than 100 points as several blue-chip companies reported profit warnings. Experts said that only a half-point cut would have affected the market as the quarter-point cut had already been factored in.

Many economists expect further rate cuts in the months ahead, although the expectation is that these will be introduced gradually. Roger Bootle, Economic Adviser to Deloitte and Touche, the accountant, said: “Today’s 0.25 per cent cut in interest rates to 5.25 per cent is another step along the path that will eventually take rates all the way down to 4 per cent.”

Alan Clarke, UK Economist at BNP Paribas, said: “The Bank is not about to encourage expectations of aggressive easing at this stage. That is not to say that the Bank won’t step up the pace of easing later in the year — we think it will. For now the Bank is trapped between plunging growth prospects and sharply rising inflation.”

Retailers report weakest January results in nearly 4 decades as shoppers pull back further

By Anne D'innocenzio

ASSOCIATED PRESS

9:31 a.m. February 7, 2008

NEW YORK – The nation's retailers delivered more evidence of a stumbling economy Thursday, as merchants reported their weakest January performance in nearly four decades, extending a malaise that has deepened since the holiday shopping season.

The sales figures made it clear that consumers wrestling with high gas and food prices, a slumping housing market, an escalating credit crisis and a weakening job market retrenched further, buying mostly necessities even when redeeming their holiday gift cards. The disappointments cut across all sectors including discounters like Wal-Mart Stores Inc., teen retailers including Pacific Sunwear of California Inc. and mall-based apparel chain Limited Brands Inc. Even affluent shoppers are pulling back, hurting stores like Nordstrom Inc.

“Clearly, this is a reflection of a very difficult environment for the consumer,” said Ken Perkins, president of RetailMetrics LLC, a research company in Swampscott, Mass. “It looks like consumer spending is stalling.”

Nonetheless, shares of a number of retailers rose as many either backed their earnings forecast or even raised guidance, signaling that they were able to control their inventories. Hot Topic Inc. and Wal-Mart stuck with their earnings forecast, while Pacific Sunwear, Wet Seal and Gap Inc. raised their profit outlooks despite sales drops.

The UBS-International Council of Shopping Centers preliminary sales tally of 43 retailers rose 0.5 percent in January, well below the original 1.5 percent forecast. The results followed an anemic 0.7 pace in December and were below last year's same-store sales average gain of 2.1 percent. Michael P. Niemira, chief economist, said January's performance was the weakest ever, according to records that go back to 1970. It is based on same-store sales, or sales at stores open at least a year.

Thursday's results extended a streak of news that showed more signs of consumer strain. Consumers' spending accounts for two-thirds of economic activity, and their outlays appear to have stalled from an already slowing pace seen over the past year. Wal-Mart noted in its release Thursday that gift card redemptions were below expectations and that customers appear to be holding gift cards longer and “using them more often for food and consumables rather than discretionary purchases.”

While consumers have had to contend with rising gas and food prices and a slumping housing market, there are signs that the job market is becoming a concern as well. On Friday, the Labor Department reported that U.S. employers sliced payrolls by 17,000, the first decline in more than four years. And on Thursday, the department said jobless claims fell last week by 22,000, but the decline was smaller than expected.

And while investors are hoping the Federal Reserve can avert a recession with a series of rate cuts, some economists say the moves may be too little, too late. Analysts also say that while the government's proposed economic stimulus package, which offers rebate checks for more than 100 million Americans, could help reignite spending, the lift would only be temporary.

As Perkins said, if the job market continues to deteriorate, “all bets are off.”

Janet Hoffman, managing partner of the North American retail division of the consulting firm Accenture, agreed, noting she expects “some relief” but nothing “radical.”

“Consumers have exhausted all the avenues to get access to credit,” she added.

Retailers are expected to offer a better picture of the impact of slower sales when they report fourth-quarter earnings over the next few weeks. The retail fiscal year ends in late January.

What might salvage earnings for some retailers is their efforts to control inventories; they're also expected to pare merchandise offerings further in the coming months to respond to slowing demand. Still, Wall Street profit expectations have been lowered in recent weeks – Perkins noted that fourth-quarter earnings growth for the 130 retailers he tracks is expected to be down 5.4 percent, compared to a 1.2 percent growth expected at the beginning of December.

Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, reported a 0.5 percent gain in same-store sales. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial had expected a 2.0 percent increase. The company said it continues to do well with staples like groceries but that home furnishings remain weak. Wal-Mart noted in its news release that gift card redemptions were below expectations and that customers appear to be holding gift cards longer and “using them more often for food and consumables rather than discretionary purchases.”

Rival Target Corp. reported a 1.1 percent decline in same-store sales in January, worse than the 0.6 percent analysts expected.

Costco Wholesale Corp., however, reported a 7 percent gain in same-store sales, surpassing the 6.6 percent estimate.

Within the department store sector, J.C. Penney Co. had a 1.9 percent decline in same-store sales at its department stores, though the results were better than the 6.3 percent Wall Street expected.

Upscale Nordstrom suffered a 6.6 percent same-store sales decline, much worse than the 0.7 percent decrease expected. Saks Inc., which operates Saks Fifth Avenue, said same-store sales rose 4.1 percent, better than the 2.2 percent estimate. But in a release, the luxury retailer said shoppers continue to shift more of their spending to sale merchandise amid a challenging economic environment.

Macy's Inc. on Wednesday reported a 7.1 percent decline in same-store sales, worse than the 5.9 percent decrease. The company also said it was cutting about 2,300 management jobs as the department store operator consolidates three regional divisions and decentralizes buying to reduce costs and boost sales.

Limited Brands reported an 8 percent drop in same-store sales in January, worse than the 6.9 percent forecast.

Gap Inc. posted a 2 percent decline in same-store sales, better than the 6.5 percent decline projected by analysts.

Among teen retailers, Abercrombie & Fitch Co. had flat same-store sales, matching Wall Street expectations. Pacific Sunwear suffered a 7.4 percent drop in same-store sales; analysts expected a 1.2 percent rise.

Wet Seal's January same-store sales fell 5.7 percent as its Arden B chain continued to slump. The results were worse than the 1.5 percent decline expected by analysts.

Putin vows 'arms race' response

Russia has been using oil revenues to bolster its military

bbc
Russia's President Vladimir Putin says the world is engaged in a new arms race and Nato is failing to accommodate Russia's concerns.

In an address to parliament, Mr Putin condemned Nato's expansion and the US plan to include Poland and the Czech Republic in a missile defence shield.

"It is already clear that a new phase in the arms race is unfolding in the world," Mr Putin said.

He said other countries were spending far more than Russia on new weapons.

But Russia would always respond to the challenges of a new arms race by developing more hi-tech weaponry, he said.

Military muscle

Referring to Nato's activities in Central and Eastern Europe, Mr Putin said "there are many discussions on these, but... we have still not seen any real steps towards finding a compromise".

"In effect, we are forced to retaliate, to take corresponding decisions. Russia has, and always will have, responses to these new challenges," he said.

In December, Russia said it was planning naval exercises in the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.

It has also resumed long-range patrols by its bomber aircraft.

The practice was suspended after the collapse of the Soviet Union and was revived last August, as part of a more assertive foreign policy pursued by President Putin.

Higher oil prices have enabled Russia to reinvest in its armed forces, but its military capabilities remain far below what they were during the Soviet era, correspondents say.

Bhutto's Supporters Reject

By ZAHID HUSSAIN Wall Street Journal
February 8, 2008 7:33 a.m.

ISLAMABAD -- Supporters of Benazir Bhutto reiterated their call for an independent international investigation into the death of the former Pakistani prime minister after a Scotland Yard probe reaffirmed the government's original contention that she died of a head injury.

"We are not satisfied with the terms of investigation by the U.K. police," said Sherry Rehman, a spokeswoman for Ms. Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party. "We will continue our quest for an independent inquiry on the perpetrators of the crime."

Investigators from London's Metropolitan Police, also known as Scotland Yard, concluded that Ms. Bhutto died of head injury caused by the impact of a suicide blast and not by gunfire, reaffirming Pakistan government's initial position.

In a report released in Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, on Friday, the U.K. investigators said Ms. Bhutto was thrown against a lever on her vehicle's roof and that there was no bullet mark on her body. It said Ms Bhutto's only apparent injury was a major trauma to the right side of the head and the investigators ruled out that the wound was result of a gunshot.

"The only tenable cause of her rapidly fatal head injury in this case is that it occurred as the result of impact due to the effect of the bomb blast," the report said. . (Read the Scotland Yard statement.)

The finding matches the Pakistani government's explanation of Ms Bhutto's death following a campaign rally Dec. 27. Pakistani Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz said the investigation into the circumstances of Ms Bhutto's death was completed, but said Pakistan could seek Scotland Yard's help in a further probe on the perpetrators of the attack. Pakistan has blamed a militant tribal leader for masterminding the attack.

The report may heighten political tensions in the run-up to parliamentary elections scheduled for Feb. 18 that are designed to install a new prime minister and return Pakistan to democracy after nine years of military rule.

There was no post mortem on Ms. Bhutto's body and the scene of the crime was hosed down within hours, compromising forensic evidence. Ms. Bhutto's supporters have insisted that she died from a bullet and have accused President Pervez Musharraf of covering up his administration's complicity. They have also called for an independent investigation by the United Nations. The demand was rejected by Mr. Musharraf, who denies his government was in any way involved in her murder.

TV pictures that emerged after Ms. Bhutto's death appeared to show a gunman aiming a weapon at her as she stood through the escape hatch of her vehicle. The U.K. police report confirmed that shots were fired - but said they weren"t the cause of death.

The British inquiry also determined that the gunman who was spotted on the scene and the suicide bomber were the same person. "The body parts of only one individual remain unidentified," the report said. It said the footage of the incident didn't show the presence of any other potential bomber. The bombing suspect stood up to two meters from the vehicle, the investigators ascertained.

Home repossessions jump to hit eight-year high as owners struggle to keep up payments

David Edwards and Mike Sheehan
Raw Story
Friday February 8, 2008

Home repossessions rocketed by more than 20 per cent during 2007 to reach an eight-year high, according to new figures.

The Council of Mortgage Lenders said a total of 27,100 homes were repossessed during the year after people fell behind on their repayments.

Government figures also released today by the Ministry of Justice showed that more than 35,000 mortgage possession orders were made through the courts in the final three months of last year.

Despite the CML figures being better than expected, housing experts predicted that worse was to come with the possibility of a return to the problems of the 90s now a distinct possibility.

The CML figure equates to 0.23 per cent of all mortages and is still well short of the 75,540 repossessions reached during the housing price crash in 1991.

Their figures show that the predicted increase in repossessions during the course of 2007 failed to materialise.

Fewer than one in 400 mortgages led to a home being repossessed, less than half the level seen during the first half of the 1990s, according to CML.

Just 13,500 homes were taken over by lenders during the final six months of the year, compared with 13,600 during the first half.

The CML said that although repossessions had risen from their recent low of fewer than 10,000 a year in 2003 and 2004, they continued to represent a tiny fraction of all home loans.

Full article here.

"Euros Accepted" signs pop up in New York City

Reuters
Friday February 8, 2008

In the latest example that the U.S. dollar just ain't what it used to be, some shops in New York City have begun accepting euros and other foreign currency as payment for merchandise.

"We had decided that money is money and we'll take it and just do the exchange whenever we can with our bank," Robert Chu, owner of East Village Wines, told Reuters television.

The increasingly weak U.S. dollar, once considered the king among currencies, has brought waves of European tourists to New York with money to burn and looking to take advantage of hugely favorable exchange rates.

"We didn't realize we would take so much in and there were that many people traveling or having euros to bring in. But some days, you'd be surprised at how many euros you get," Chu said.

"Now we have to get familiar with other currencies and the (British) pound and the Canadian dollars we take," he said.

While shops in many U.S. towns on the Canadian border have long accepted Canadian currency and some stores on the Texas-Mexico border take pesos, the acceptance of foreign money in Manhattan was unheard of until recently.

Not far from Chu's downtown wine emporium, Billy Leroy of Billy's Antiques & Props said the vast numbers of Europeans shopping in the neighborhood got him thinking, "My God, I should take euros in at the store."

Leroy doesn't even bother to exchange them.

"I'm happy if I take in 200 euros, because what I do is keep them," he said. "So when I go back to Paris, I don't have to go through the nightmare of going to an exchange place."

Whistleblower Reporters Expose How Fox Ordered Them To Lie

Youtube
Friday February 8, 2008

McCain: Sanctions, attacks await Iran

Press TV
Friday February 8, 2008

Republican presidential hopeful John McCain says the US and its European allies will adopt unilateral sanctions against Iran.

He stated that if the UN is not prepared to impose stronger political and economic sanctions, the United States and its European partners will take such measures.

He also said that a military solution should remain on the table as a last resort and that Iran is playing 'a game it cannot win'.

“I intend to make it unmistakably clear to Iran that we will not permit a government that espouses the destruction of ... Israel . . .and pledges undying enmity to the United States to possess weapons to advance their malevolent ambitions,” Suddeutschen Zeitung quoted the senator as saying.

The recently published US National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) has confirmed that Iran is not developing nuclear arms.

Iran says under the Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) it is entitled to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes and that its nuclear activities are aimed at civilian purposes.

Iowa professor claims FBI suspects him of al Qaeda ties

David Edwards and Muriel Kane
Raw Story
Friday February 8, 2008

A professor at Northwest Iowa Community College claims that the FBI is investigating students and faculty there on suspicions that pirated music, movies, and software are being sold to help fund al Qaeda.

College President William Giddings acknowledges that law enforcement officers were asked to look into problems with excessive bandwidth use and possible illicit file-sharing, but he expressed bewilderment at allegations of an al Qaeda connection.

The al Qaeda story comes from computer science professor Steven Gifford, who says that he was visited by the FBI and "they told us the college had alleged that my students and I were running a piracy ring. We were downloading, cracking and re-selling software, movies and music and were doing this in support of al Qaeda terrorists."

"I was a little stunned," Gifford stated. "There would be no benefit to me to do anything to harm my country. ... I am a patriot."

Gifford, who has been on paid administrative leave since January 25 over budget issues, suggested that the real problem might be that he is about to become president of the faculty association and the administration doesn't like him. He accused college president William Giddings of wanting "to humiliate and intimidate me."

President Giddings was reluctant to make any comment about Gifford. He said he did not know who the target of the FBI investigation was but that it definitely did not involve terrorism.

This video is 9 News, KCAL, broadcast February 7, 2008.

Force of blast killed Bhutto, not bullet: report

Reuters
Friday February 8, 2008

British police have concluded that Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was killed by the force of a suicide bomb and not by an assassin's bullet, The New York Times reported in its Friday editions.

The findings, if confirmed, would support the Pakistani government's explanation of Bhutto's death.

Scotland Yard, the headquarters of London's Metropolitan Police, which sent investigators to examine her death, declined to comment on the report. A spokesman said the police force would not discuss its findings until they were made public.

Bhutto died on December 27 while campaigning in Rawalpindi.

Controversy rages in Pakistan over whether the popular politician was struck down by a bullet or by a concussive injury caused by the bomb, detonated after an assassin shot at her from close range.

President Pervez Musharraf asked Scotland Yard to help in the investigation. A poll conducted by Gallup Pakistan found almost half of all Pakistanis believed government agencies or politicians allied to Musharraf were involved in the killing.

The British police report, which will be presented to the Pakistani government and Bhutto's family on Friday, said Bhutto died after the suicide blast detonated and she hit her head, the Times said.

It quoted "officials who have been briefed on the inquiry," but did not identify which country the officials came from.

The newspaper also said the inquiry determined a single gunman, whose image was captured in photographs at the scene, caused the explosion. Government officials in Pakistan initially said there were two assailants, according to The Times.

Full article here.