Religion of Painfully Slow Downloads and Peace Update.

Roto-Reuters: Iran cuts Internet speeds to homes, cafes

Iran's internet service providers (ISPs) have started reducing the speed of Internet access to homes and cafes based on new government-imposed limits, a move critics said appeared to be part of a clampdown on the media.

Golly, Roto-Reuters! You really went out on a limb with that last sentence.

An official said last week that ISPs were now "forbidden" by the Telecommunications Ministry from providing Internet connections faster than 128 kilobytes per second (KBps), the official IRNA news agency reported. He did not give a reason.

Internet technicians say speeds of 256 KBps, 512 KBps or higher are increasingly common internationally. Iranian surfers will now find it much slower to download music or anything else from the Web.

Businesses have not been affected by the move.

Critics said the restriction would hinder the work of students and researchers but said it appeared in line with what they see as a squeeze on the media by the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who rails against the West.

"Once more, one of the most important tools for providing information is faced with new government red lines and restrictions," the opposition reform-minded daily, Etemad-e Melli, wrote in an article on the new speed limitation.

Slave China, Slave Iran...six of one, a half-dozen of the other.

The authorities have shutdown the leading pro-reform newspaper and launched a crackdown on those flouting a ban on satellite dishes. Critics say the authorities have put increasing pressure on opposition journalists, academics and students.

The government denies the charges, saying it welcomes criticism.

HEEHEE! Now that's funny.

Q: What do you get when you cross the NBA with rap?

A: Robbery and gunplay.

ESPN: Police investigating Telfair in connection with shooting

New York City police sources tell ESPN's Jeremy Schaap that Boston Celtics guard Sebastian Telfair is being investigated for a possible role in the shooting of rapper Fabolous.

Skylar John Jackson, 28, also known as Fabolous, was shot and wounded in the left thigh Monday night outside of Justin's, a New York club owned by hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs. Telfair was outside of the same club Monday night, and the shooting occurred shortly after a $50,000 chain was ripped from Telfair's neck.

Telfair was observed making a phone call after the chain was stolen.
"We're investigating whether there's a connection between the reported robbery and the shooting," New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne told The Associated Press.

After the incident, four men, including Fabolous, were arrested and charged with having unregistered, loaded weapons in their SUV.

On Tuesday night, Telfair viewed four police lineups that included Fabolous and his three companions, but he was unable to identify any suspects.

How convenient.

According to Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg, several witnesses heard gunshots outside the East 22nd Street restaurant at about 12:30 a.m. There were a number of calls to 911, and one witness took down the make and license plate of a sport utility vehicle leaving the scene, she said.

Memo To Dan "Le Petit Batard" LeBatard: This is why the NBA is increasingly irrelevant, you knucklehead.

From The My Criminal Italian Cousins Department:

Crippling the Scranton-Wilkes Barre mob!

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Man accused of trying to have witnesses killed

Reputed Scranton mob boss William "Big Billy" D'Elia has been charged with unknowingly soliciting a federal informant to murder two witnesses against him in a pending money-laundering case while at the same time offering to kidnap and kill a "smuggler" who had stolen more than $400,000 from the informant.

D'Elia was arrested last week on the charges, which were detailed in an 18-count indictment that reads like a plot from The Sopranos.

Yeah, that's good reporting. Bring up HBO.

The major difference is that the witnesses D'Elia wanted killed are real.

The smuggler, on the other hand, didn't exist, but was part of an elaborate sting operation set up by investigators with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Pennsylvania State Police.

The indictment, handed up by a federal grand jury in Scranton, was made public yesterday. D'Elia is being held without bail.

The 60-year-old reputed gang leader has been identified by mob informants as the head of the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre crime family. For years he has been described as a "Mafia diplomat" who has served as a go-between for leaders of other major crime families.

D'Elia has been an associate of every Philadelphia mob boss for the last 20 years, according to investigators and court testimony. Most recently he has been spotted meeting with members of the Philadelphia organization now reputedly headed by Joseph Ligambi, according to a federal affidavit that is part of the current case.

BTW, it is not ethnic hatred when I attack the wise guys, kiddies. It is me doing my little part in the battle to clean up the image of Italian-Americans.

The affidavit details part of the investigation into D'Elia's money-laundering activities on behalf of a "confidential informant" who is not identified, but who was posing as a Dominican drug dealer who wanted to send drug proceeds back to Santo Domingo.

Several meetings between the informant and D'Elia were audiotaped and videotaped, according to the affidavit submitted by Special Agent Maureen Meschke of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Trooper David Swartz of the Pennsylvania State Police.

D'Elia, indicted on money-laundering charges in another alleged scheme back in May, was free on bail during part of the time that authorities say he was plotting with the informant.

According to the affidavit, D'Elia agreed on two different occasions to have $50,000 wired to a bank in Santo Domingo for the informant. The first $50,000 was allegedly to cover the cost of having two of the informant's "nieces" smuggled into the United States. A second $50,000 was also transferred via bank wire.

The money was earmarked for "Sabino Cotto," who the informant said was engaged in smuggling illegal aliens into the United States.

In fact, Cotto did not exist.

Investigators surveilled several meetings between D'Elia and the informant, including meetings in which the informant gave D'Elia the cash to be wired.

D'Elia charged $2,500 for handling the transactions.

The money-laundering charges are similar to those filed against D'Elia earlier this year. In all, the government alleges the mob boss has laundered hundreds of thousands of dollars in drug proceeds for associates.

During the course of his conversations with the informant, the indictment handed up yesterday alleges, D'Elia, who had learned the identities of two of the witnesses against him in the original case, asked the informant to kill them.

At one point, he supplied the informant with a picture of one of the witnesses and photos of his home, business and vehicle.

Earlier this month, learning that federal authorities were investigating the two $50,000 wire transfers to "Sabino Cotto," D'Elia met with the informant to warn him. During that meeting, the informant complained about Cotto, claiming he had stolen $400,000 from him. D'Elia then allegedly offered to have the smuggler kidnapped and murdered.

"If I decide to kill this guy, do you have the people over there to wipe him out overnight?" the informant asked in a conversation taped by authorities.

"Yeah, you just gotta tell me what to do," D'Elia replied, according to the indictment.

At a meeting the next day, Oct. 6, the informant offered D'Elia $200,000 for the murder. And on Oct. 9 he supplied D'Elia with a photo of Sabino Cotto and photos of his residence and boat in the Dominican Republic.

D'Elia was also given $5,000 to cover "travel expenses" and a key to a locker at the bus station in Santo Domingo, where, the informant said, D'Elia's hit men would find an additional $20,000 to cover their expenses.

All of it was a fiction. The photo of Sabino Cotto, in fact, was the picture of a federal agent.

Three days later, on Oct. 12, D'Elia was arrested.

More reasons to throw Slow Eddie Rendell out of office.

Reading Eagle: Rendell vows to increase everybodys taxes
If elected to a second term, the governor says his plan to raise the state sales tax would mean $1 billion in school property-tax savings.

Ha! Just like his genius plan to bring casino gambling to the Commonwealth! I can't spend that property tax windfall because it is sooooooooooooooo gigantinormous!

Lancaster News Scare-Ya: Making his case for dominion over all

Gov. Ed Rendell, in a vigorous defense of his gambling initiatives, said slot machines will provide financial benefits to Pennsylvania taxpayers and bring brightness and cheer to older residents.

Wow. That sounds like a subversive, right wing, reactionary reporter coloring the story to make ol' Slow Eddie look like an out of touch retard...

Gov. Ed Rendell, in a vigorous defense of his gambling initiatives, said slot machines will provide financial benefits to Pennsylvania taxpayers and bring “brightness and cheer” to older residents. (Emphasis is all mine, baby.)

Quotation marks! That proves everyone's favorite Philly Machine thug is an out of touch retard.

"Hey, grandma! Bring your Social Security check with you to the slots parlor so I can buy more votes!"

The governor also defended the infamous pay raise for Pennsylvania judges, saying some of them couldn’t afford to put their children through college, and that first-year law-school grads were making more than they did.

This may sound like heresy to you, but maybe they should get real jobs as lawyers, Eddie. Lawyers can afford to buy their kids Porsches, after all.

But if we did not have any power-mad judges, power-mad morons like you would be denied that weapon in your war against decent folks.

And Rendell, who met with the New Era on Wednesday for a wide-ranging interview, outlined his policy agenda in broad terms if elected to a second four-year term in the Nov. 7 election.

“I’ve been pretty consistent with what my priorities are,” he said.

“I think we’ve made great progress on all of my priorities, but we haven’t reached our goals.”

Four more years of this criminal? Lord, have mercy on us!

Meanwhile, in the camp of the good guy in the race...

Reading Eagle: Swann opposes increasing sales tax

On a visit to Reading, the GOP gubernatorial candidate outlines the changes he favors, including a freeze on property taxes and alter (sic) the property assessment system.

You know you're a loser when...

...your ten year old is more responsible than you.

UPI: Boy refuses to ride with drinking parents

MONACA, PA - A Pennsylvania couple have been charged with drunken driving after their 10-year-old son refused to ride with them, fearing for his safety, police said.

Kenneth Sutton, 41, and his wife, Paula, 40, of Monaca, Pa., were charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or controlled substances and with child endangerment, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

The case caught police attention after a motorist saw the couple in their two vehicles stopped on a highway and their son leaving the scene.

The motorist called police, who picked up the boy running along the highway.

The unidentified boy told police his father had been drinking and was trying to light a pipe containing marijuana when he crashed into a guard rail, police said.

The boy's mother, who had been traveling in a car in front of them, tried to get the boy to ride with her, but he refused because she too had been drinking, police said.

The boy was not injured.

If their lawyer is any good, he'll blame the war in Iraq.

Is it my imagination or have there been a lot of bear stories lately?

NorthJersey.com: Spanish king denies shooting drunken bear

MADRID, Spain -- The king says it didn't happen. And the bear isn't around to talk about it.

A spokeswoman for Spanish King Juan Carlos said Thursday that Russian reports that the 68-year-old monarch brought down a tamed and inebriated bear during a visit in August were "ridiculous."

The palace confirmed the king, who is known to enjoy hunting, was in Russia at the time of the alleged shooting, but it says he didn't kill any bear, let alone one that was fed vodka-spiked honey.

"He neither hunted with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin nor killed a bear," a spokeswoman for the palace said.

But those denials are apparently not enough to stop regional Russian authorities from launching an inquiry into how the bear met its end.

Vyacheslav Pozgalyov, governor of the Vologda region, about 250 miles northeast of Moscow, set up a group to look into the August incident, said his spokeswoman, Yevgenia Toloknova.

Russia's top business daily Kommersant on Thursday cited a letter to the governor from the region's deputy hunting chief, Sergei Starostin, claiming Mitrofan, "a good-natured and joyful bear," was taken to the hunting place where local authorities "generously fed him with vodka mixed with honey and pushed him into a field."

"Naturally, a heavy, drunken animal became an easy target. His Highness Juan Carlos took Mitrofan out with one shot," Starostin said in the letter.

It might have been one of the many Juan Carlos impersonators who thrill crowds throughout Europe with their colorful antics...

The unspeakable horror of our Culture of Death.

Big Babykilling has indoctrinated our women. They now believe it is better to shoot themselves when contractions begin rather than put their children up for adoption.

Congratulations to all you ghouls to the left of orthodox Catholicism! (That includes you, you "conservative" contracepting protestants!) Your goal of convincing Americans that children must be viewed the way Hitler viewed Jews has been achieved!

The Virginian-Pilot: Charge dismissed for woman who shot self to end pregnancy

A judge Thursday ended the prosecution of a woman who shot herself in the stomach to end her full-term pregnancy, ruling that the felony abortion charge could not be used in her case.

Tammy Wynette Skinner, 23, no longer faces criminal charges for shooting herself on Feb. 23. Her only conviction is a misdemeanor for filing a false report to police, when she initially told officers a man had shot her.

She received a suspended 30-day jail sentence in May and was assessed a $1,464 fine.

The focus now shifts to legislators, who will decide whether they want to clarify the law.

The statute, which dates at least to 1950, sets a penalty for any person who illegally produces an abortion or miscarriage with intent to destroy the unborn child. Parker agreed with Skinner's attorney that the statute could be used only against third parties, such as a doctor performing an illegal abortion.

"It's almost a certainty" that the case will prompt legislation in 2007, said state Sen. Kenneth Stolle, R-Virginia Beach. The question, he said, is whether it will pass.

Lead prosecutor Marie Walls said there was no way her office could continue prosecuting Skinner after Circuit Judge Westbrook Parker's ruling.

"It's a matter for the legislature to address," she said. "The statute is not terribly clear."

Kevin Martingayle, Skinner's attorney, said state courts in Florida and Georgia have struck down similar cases. But he found no other Virginia case in which a woman was prosecuted for an act against her unborn child.

Stolle, who heads the Senate Courts of Justice Committee, said he and other legislators had believed the law in question already applies to expectant mothers.

But he added that "reasonable people could disagree on this point."
Skinner, a mother of two, showed little emotion during Parker's ruling.

Afterward, away from reporters, she sobbed with her family, Martingayle said. She left the courthouse, saying simply, "I'm just glad it's over so I can move on with my life."

In his ruling, Parker said that "as much as everyone in this courtroom despises what this defendant did," he had to decide solely whether the law applied to Skinner.

Martingayle had argued that if the case against Skinner were allowed to proceed, it opened the door to other prosecutions in Virginia. Any woman whose actions unwittingly caused a late-term miscarriage could be vulnerable, he said. Martingayle said it would take only a police officer's suspicion that a miscarriage was intentional to open a criminal case.

Not unwillingly, you sophist! She did not unwillingly put a bullet in her gut!

Skinner told police she was beginning to have contractions when she shot herself, according to her statement to police.

She told the detective she had discovered her pregnancy too late to have a legal abortion and that she was dealing with stress from the child's father.
She said she had contemplated several ways to abort her child, including punching herself in the stomach and drinking bleach.

The ruling was the second time a judge dismissed the felony charge.
A lower court judge did so in May, prompting prosecutors to go to a grand jury and secure a direct indictment during the summer.

Mary Petchel, president of the Tidewater Chapter of the Virginia Society for Human Life, called Skinner's case especially tragic because the young mother had a way out. Virginia has a safe haven law, passed in 2003, that allows mothers and fathers to give unharmed newborns within two weeks to hospitals or rescue squads without the threat of prosecution for neglect, Petchel said.

"It's just so sad that these young girls panic," she said.

She is a 23 year old woman, not a girl.

BTW, why no mention of the murdered child's father, the woman's husband, and the father (s) of her two kids?

Orthodox Headline of the Day.

AP: Vatican reaffirms church's opposition to euthanasia

But what about the fake feces?

AmeriKKKa violates another artist simply trying to express the ephemeral beauty of life by...HA! I knew I couldn't type that with a straight face!

AP: NBC TV special won't show Madonna on cross

...Whither The Coprophilia Tour?

Saint of the Day and daily Mass readings.

Today is the Feast of St. Paul of the Cross, founder of the Passionists. Pray for us, all you angels and saints.

Today's reading for the Feast of St. Paul of the Cross is 1 Corinthians 1:18-25.
Today's Responsorial Psalm is Psalms 117:1, 2.
Today's Gospel reading is Matthew 16:24-27.


Everyday links:

The Blessed Virgin Mary
The Rosary
Our Mother of Perpetual Help
Prayers from EWTN
National Coalition of Clergy and Laity (dedicated to action for a genuine Catholic Restoration)
The Catholic Calendar Page for Today
ZENIT - The World Seen From Rome


Just in case you are wondering what exactly Catholics believe, here is

The Apostles Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen.


Memorare

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that any one who fled to thy protection, implored thy help or sought thy intercession,was left unaided.Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins my Mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful; O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy clemency hear and answer me. Amen.


St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse, pray for us.


Anima Christi

Soul of Christ, sanctify me; Body of Christ, save me; Blood of Christ, inebriate me; Water from Christ's side, wash me; Passion of Christ, strengthen me; O good Jesus, hear me; Within Thy wounds hide me; Suffer me not to be separated from Thee; From the malicious enemy defend me; In the hour of my death call me; And bid me come unto Thee; That I may praise Thee with Thy saints and with Thy angels Forever and ever. Amen.


Prayer to St. Anthony, Martyr of Desire

Dear St. Anthony, you became a Franciscan with the hope of shedding your blood for Christ. In God's plan for you, your thirst for martyrdom was never to be satisfied. St. Anthony, Martyr of Desire, pray that I may become less afraid to stand up and be counted as a follower of the Lord Jesus. Intercede also for my other intentions. (Name them.)


Prayer To Saint Michael The Archangel

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil; may God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the divine power, thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.


Prayer to End Abortion

Lord God, I thank You today for the gift of my life, and for the lives of all my brothers and sisters. I know there is nothing that destroys more life than abortion, yet I rejoice that you have conquered death by the resurrection of Your Son. I am ready to do my part to end abortion. Today I commit myself never to be silent, never to be passive, and never to be forgetful of the unborn. I commit myself to be active in the pro-life movement, and never stop defending life until all my brothers and sisters are protected and our nation once again becomes a nation with liberty and justice, not just for some, but for all. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.


Prayer For Vocations

Send forth your Spirit, Lord, into the hearts of your faithful people, that we may be conscious of our vocation to holiness and sevice to others. Grant that many of us may dedicate ourselves to You through the priesthood and the religious life.We pray especially for the needs of our own parish and diocese. Grant that we may always have sufficient good and holy priests, and dedicated Sisters to serve our commumities.We pray, too, for religious orders; that generous men may join them to become zealous missionaries in preaching the Gospel in word and action, especially to the poor and abandoned.We make this prayer through Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Redeemer. Amen.


Prayer Before The Crucifix

Behold, O kind and gentle Jesus, I kneel before Thee and pray that Thou would impress upon my heart the virtues of faith, hope, and charity, with true repentance for my sins and a firm purpose of amendment. At the same time, with sorrow I meditate on Thy five precious wounds, having in mind the words which David spoke in prophecy: "They have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones."


Divine Praises

Blessed be God.
Blessed be His Holy Name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true Man.
Blessed be the Name of Jesus.
Blessed be His most Sacred Heart.
Blessed be His most Precious Blood.
Blessed be Jesus in the most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.
Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her glorious Assumption.
Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
Blessed be Saint Joseph, her most chaste spouse.
Blessed be God in His angels and in His saints.
May the Heart of Jesus in the most Blessed Sacrament
Be praised, adored and loved
With grateful affection at every moment
In all the tabernacles of the world
Even to the end of time. Amen.

Beware the AmericaLast media.

Statistical Politics Update by Alan Reynolds of Human Events

My recent column predicted that "the closer we get to elections, the worse economic reporting becomes." To demonstrate how well that theory is working, we need only look at two samples of "news" from one newspaper on a single day, Oct. 15.

On that day, New York Times columnist Eduardo Porter asked "After Years of Growth, What About Workers' Share?" A table showed changes in wages and benefits as a share of GDP from 2000 to 2005 in nine countries. The author concludes, predictably, that "workers in the United States appeared to get a break for a few years in the second half of the 1990s," but "the share of the economy devoted to wages and benefits has eroded in the United States over the last five years."

In my original column, critiquing another New York Times writer for using this same statistical trick, I explained that "serious economists never compare labor's income shares to gross domestic product. GDP includes big items that are not any American's income -- notably, depreciation for wear and tear on everything from computers to highways (which rose from 11.9 percent of GDP in 1999 to 12.9 percent in 2005). The sensible practice is to examine labor compensation as a share of national income."

When wages and benefits are properly compared to national income, Porter's conclusions evaporate. Wages and benefits amounted to a slightly subpar 65 percent of national income in 2005, yet that was identical to the figure for 1999, when workers supposedly got a big break. Wages and benefits were an unusually low 64.2 percent of national income in 1995, which is the only reason Porter is able to show an increase between 1995 and 2000. In fact, real hourly compensation fell in 1993, 1994 and 1995, but rose by 1.1 percent a year from 2001 to 2005.

Support hot Turkish babes: BONUS Selin Toktay.

From the pages of The King Abdullah Gazette: