Flashermac

I heard that he'd been arrested in Cambodia. Can't verify that though. Allegedly, he'd done the same sort of thing elsewhere before he came to Bangkok.

Epstein’s death looks like ‘homicidal strangulation’, not suicide says family’s medical examiner After almost three months since billionaire financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein died in his cell at Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, a new autopsy investigation suggests Epstein did not die at his own hands, but instead was murdered. Dr. Michael Baden, a former high-profile New York City medical examiner and current Fox News contributor, revealed in an exclusive Fox News interview Wednesday about his own observation of Epstein’s autopsy. Baden noted fractures to larynx, damage to the cartilage of his Adam’s apple and a fracture on the left side of his hyoid bone are all peculiar injuries not likely consistent with the official cause of death – that he hung himself in his cell. “Those three fractures are extremely unusual in suicidal hangings and could occur much more commonly in homicidal strangulation,” Baden told Fox News. Baden was hired by Mark Epstein, Jeffrey Epstein’s brother, to examine the autopsy after he was found dead in his cell on Aug. 10. The 85-year-old medical examiner has numerous studied high-profile deaths probed including cases involving O.J. Simpson, President John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and New England Patriots football star Aaron Hernandez, among others. Baden has examined more than 20,000 bodies in the course of his career. As he described Epstein’s peculiar injuries, Baden said, “I’ve not seen in 50 years where that occurred in a suicidal hanging case.” Baden said if a person weighs 120 pounds, 10 of those pounds being the weight of their head, their remaining body weight would account for 110 pounds pressure on their neck, around the jaw in a suicidal hanging. By contrast, in a homicidal strangulation, someone strangling their victim could exert double or even triple the pressure around their victim’s neck. Baden further noted hemorrhaging in Epstein’s eyes which is more common in a homicidal strangulation, but not unknown to occur in a suicidal hanging. The medical examiner said his findings are still not complete at this time, and said he awaits forensic information from the bedsheets Epstein was alleged to have used to strangle himself. Baden said if he was indeed murdered, the killer’s DNA would be found throughout the ligature. Despite New York City Medical Examiner Barbara Sampson’s official findings that Epstein’s death was a suicide, Baden said that ruling could be a mistake and, if so, should investigate further to rule out or confirm the possibility of homicide. Epstein, who had been previously convicted on sex offender charges, was facing new allegations between 2002 and 2005 he paid girls as young as 14 to massage him, before he eventually molested them in his homes in New York as well as Palm Beach. Florida. Weeks before Epstein was found dead in his cell, he had been previously discovered on July 23 in a semiconscious state with marks on his neck. Following his July injuries, Epstein was reportedly placed on suicide watch during his solitary confinement in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan. Epstein was reportedly taken off suicide watch a week later and placed with a cellmate. That cellmate was eventually moved to another cell a few days later, leaving Epstein alone again. Though Epstein was alone, Baden noted breakdowns in procedure, including two guards who had allegedly fallen asleep on duty. The guards were to perform checks on Epstein every 30 minutes, but had not done so in a 3 hour period surrounding Epstein’s death. When Mark Epstein hired Baden, he did so citing concerns he and his family were not getting transparency about the death. According to Baden, Mark Epstein raised concerns that if his brother had indeed been murdered, the Epstein family and others may also be at risk from “somebody not wanting knowledge given out.” https://americanmilitarynews.com/2019/10/epsteins-death-looks-like-homicidal-strangulation-not-suicide-says-familys-medical-examiner/?utm_source=militarymemes&utm_campaign=alt&utm_medium=facebook&fbclid=IwAR3lxXzlhyz5ciokCchtjBLwB8zcrbMYsdtJ2N69Vlou_ZIk5xjKgxFbAU4 THE LATEST Judge strikes down Pittsburgh’s ‘assault weapons’ ban, ‘red flag’ gun confiscation rule that defied state law October 30, 2019 Cheryl Hinneburg Read Mor 

Is it right to atttack the LTC? Of course not, no more than was Hillary's calling Major Tulsi Gabbard ... a decorated combat veteran ... a "Russian asset". Politicians seem to make up their own rules these days, and it's time to judge them all by the same standards, regardless of party affiliation.

Al-Baghdadi's last tweet ...

Anyone else remember Santos, who ran the Titty Twister bar in Nana? It was quite a successful go-go bar, so much so that Santos was able to sell a 50% share in it to 8 different people.

PATTAYA: Go-go dancers at a Walking Street bar complained to police on Tuesday that their foreign employer owed them 400,000-baht in unpaid wages since they started work in mid-October. About 30 dancers filed their complaint at Pattaya police station about 3am. They said their employer at Hidden A Go Go bar had failed to pay their wages as had been promised. Their representative, a 29-year-old woman who identified herself only as Gift, said they started working at the go-go bar on Oct 14, and their employer promised to pay them every 10 days.The first payment due had been postponed to Monday, and when that deadline was missed they could no longer contact their employer. The overdue wages totalled about 400,000 baht, she said. Each dancer was contracted to receive a daily wage of 1,200 baht. "Everyone has worked hard. We must dance on high heels for 7-8 hours a day. We all need to send money to parents and children, pay room rents and cover our personal expenses," Ms Gift said. Police accepted their complaint and advised the women to also file it with provincial labour officials. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1782309/pattaya-bar-dancers-complain-their-pay-withheld?fbclid=IwAR2zJC5nsa6yxkCMYTOrobjg0dmEoEnP7zoSAvEwSd-ebLgTYlIdVrpUlMQ

In the US military men and women take the same physical fitness tests, but the women pass with far lower performance levels than the men. The difference is there for a reason.

For the second year in a row, a biological male has won a women’s cycling championship. Rachel McKinnon, who was born male and identifies as a transgender woman, won the Masters Track Cycling World Championships in the female 35-39 sprint category last weekend in Manchester, England. The 37-year-old Canadian, who transitioned from male to female around age 29, set a new world best time, beating American Dawn Orwick for the gold. The win has caused considerable controversy among other female athletes and observers who note the obvious unfairness of a biological male competing against women. McKinnon’s bodily advantages defeat the purpose of sex-segregated sports and nullify the hard work and training of female cyclists. This isn’t the first time McKinnon has faced criticism. The athlete’s success in the same race last year caused a similar outcry. It’s no wonder a second win, in the same race, has sparked yet another. Women are realizing this isn’t a one-off event, but the beginning of a trend. According to an interview with VeloNews, McKinnon has always competed with women, meaning no one will ever know for sure how he would have performed against other biological men. McKinnon has gone so far as to say science doesn’t show testosterone gives men a competitive advantage over women. But that’s simply false. The International Association of Athletics Federations recently recognized this fact by restricting the testosterone levels allowed for transgender female athletes (that is, biological males competing with women). Obviously, it has put some stock in the concept that testosterone does boost athletic performance, or it wouldn’t limit it. Even still, let’s posit testosterone is irrelevant, that it’s not the factor that gives men an unfair advantage over women. There are other physiological differences men enjoy that enable them to achieve physical feats that women can’t. For example, men have a slimmer pelvis (known as the “Q angle”), larger hearts, larger lungs, and a larger skeletal mass—all significant differences that can aid in a sport like cycling. Biological males even have more muscle mass, which tends to make them stronger and faster. “A man’s leg is about 80% muscle, compared with about 60% muscle in a woman’s leg,” Dr. Emily Kraus, a sports medicine physician, explained. She added that “men’s muscles tend to have larger fast-twitch muscle fibers, which help with sprinting.” Science supports what most people intuitively understand: that men and women are physiologically different. Those differences give men certain advantages over women. Anyone who accepts sex segregation in sports understands this, and it’s why many women are outraged at biological men moving into women’s sports. In 2018, when American cyclist Jennifer Wagner finished third against McKinnon in the Masters Track Cycling World Championships (McKinnon came in first), Wagner complained that the race was unfair. Similarly, last year, tennis great (and open lesbian) Martina Navrátilová said that allowing biological men to compete in women’s sports was “insane” and amounted to “cheating.” McKinnon responded on Twitter by calling her “transphobic.” Our culture faces a serious deficit when a biological man beats women in a women’s athletic event, then berates others as “transphobic” for failing to applaud his victory. Ultimately, this is an issue of justice for female athletes. If a biological man can compete in female sports, women lose the rights that they won in the 20th century when society began carving out space for female athletes only. Imagine being a woman who has trained for years—maybe longer—to master a specific sport, only to lose to a biological male who may be an average athlete when compared to his male peers. It’s at this point that transgender “rights” bump up against women’s rights. There’s no getting around it: The right of a biological man to compete in women’s sports is, in principle, an infringement upon women’s rights. Until society realizes this and stands up for women, expect more female athletes to be robbed of the gold medals they deserved. https://www.dailysignal.com/2019/10/23/a-man-won-gold-in-womens-cycling-again-when-will-we-say-no-more/?fbclid=IwAR3dIUwAnETVMpzk1xHSOurioCdZMcU3MrUKOz0AG8ixQysTW5VlN1-o8qg

Avenge Jabba the Hutt! He was murdered by an evil humanoid.

Is Britain Becoming a Failed State? https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/britain-brexit-failed-state-by-chris-patten-2019-08 Why young Germans are feeling gloomy about their country https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20180926-why-young-germans-are-feeling-gloomy-about-their-country

Australia is failing on energy, and it’s burning huge holes in consumer wallets https://reneweconomy.com.au/australia-is-failing-on-energy-and-its-burning-huge-holes-in-consumer-wallets-26698/ Australia 'failing' those with disabilities, advocacy groups warn https://www.sbs.com.au/news/australia-failing-those-with-disabilities-advocacy-groups-warn Australia is failing to combat dirty money entering the property market' https://www.sbs.com.au/news/australia-is-failing-to-combat-dirty-money-entering-the-property-market

... Is the decline worldwide? Australia, a failing state According to the UN’s definition, ‘failed states’ are political entities that demonstrate little or no ability to provide their citizens with basic security. American political scientist William Zartman argues that, in most cases, the process of state failure is gradual and prolonged, rather than sudden, as in a coup d’état or revolt. He notes that states that suffer from internal disintegration (primarily because of identity politics—religious, ethnic, etc.) and simultaneously are characterised by weak or non-functioning institutions are liable to become failed states. In such states, failure intensifies in a kind of vicious circle. The weakness of the state’s institutions reinforces the fragmentation, which in turn further weakens the institutions and their legitimacy. (From an article in Middle East Forum, by Kobi Michael and Yoel Guzansky.) I don’t know about you, but to me this comes frighteningly close to describing the UK and Australia these days. Before you harrumph and ridicule me, take note of this from the above: ‘in most cases, the process of state failure is gradual and prolonged, rather than sudden’. Just two examples of failing to provide basic security: in the UK gangs rape girls and the police avoid confronting the young immigrants for fear of being labelled racist. In August 2014 the report by Professor Alexis Jay concluded that an estimated 1,400 children, most of them white girls, had been sexually abused in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013 by predominantly British-Pakistani men. (Wikipedia) In Melbourne, ethnic gangs invade houses, attack citizens, defying the police. Teen thugs linked to an emerging gang, Menace to Society, have shamelessly taunted police, bragging on social media about their reckless behaviour damaging property as well as their desire to continue chaos in Melbourne’s western suburbs. The network of youths, mainly of Sudanese origin, regularly boast on social media about their disregard for the law, posting photos of weapons and promoting gang culture. (Herald Sun, 10 Jan, 2018) Freedoms of speech and of association are stunted by activists unchecked by our ‘leaders’. When the planned visit of Muslim reform supporter Ayaan Hirsi Ali was greeted with threats of physical disruption and cancelled, the Prime Minister said nothing. Did nothing. When Marxist activist Roz Ward tried to rip off a Donald Trump branded cap from a man in the street, the PM said nothing. When screenings of the film The Red Pill were threatened with physical disruption and were cancelled, the PM said nothing. As for the ‘weakness of the state’s institutions’, it is notable and ironic that so many (conservatives or not) regard the Australian Human Rights Commission not as a protector but as a violator of human rights, thanks to some of its abysmal, well-publicised practices. Banks have institutionalised fraud against their customers while some political parties perpetrated fraud against the taxpayer. The ABC is regarded by conservative voters as a failed taxpayer funded institution for its one sided menu of left-wing offerings; a Green-Left stooge. Perhaps most dangerously, the institution that is our legal system is intermittently but seriously failing the citizens. The inspector of ICAC, David Levine, has described the corruption watchdog’s pursuit of the New South Wales public prosecutor Margaret Cunneen as a ‘debacle’. There has been much public outcry over too-lenient bail processes and lenient sentencing for serious crimes and terror-related offences. Remember Man Haron Monis of the Lindt café siege? Victorian judges’ sentencing queried? Away from pubic scrutiny, though, there is an especially troubling failure of the administration of the criminal law, showing the flipside of leniency: the determined resistance of the system to correct what are claimed to be errors that result in too many wrongful convictions for crimes such as murder and rape. One study counted 71 known cases. That resistance takes many forms, but one of the most egregious is the willingness of the system to delay or defer any possible corrective action. Here are three current examples: Gordon Wood was convicted in 2008 of the murder of Caroline Byrne, whose body was found early morning on 8 June, 1995, on the rocks at The Gap, a notorious suicide spot in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. In 2012 the Court of Criminal Appeal set aside his conviction. Wood is suing the State of NSW and the DPP for malicious prosecution. That trial ended in March 2017; the decision of Justice Fullerton has still not been delivered, more than a year later. Hobart grandmother Sue Neill-Fraser was convicted in 2010 of murdering her partner Bob Chappell in 2009 with a wrench, even though Chappell’s body has never been found nor a murder weapon produced in evidence nor a credible motive established. Still, her 2011 appeal failed. She is now seeking leave to appeal her conviction and 23-year sentence under new legislation passed in 2015. Obstacles and delays have continually stretched the process; the next hearing in Hobart Supreme Court has been moved from 26 June to late August 2018, by which time Neill-Fraser will have been in prison for nine years. And that’s just to see if she has leave to appeal. A much-liked, generous and respected businessman, let’s call him George, was accused by his grown-up stepdaughter of historical sexual abuse when she was 8. He and his wife (the girl’s mother, who dismisses the lurid allegations) have been through hell as his business and personal reputation were trashed, in a process that is so flawed that a lawyer has prepared a 70-page petition to the Governor via the Attorney-General, putting a strong case for a review. George has already served his sentence and is on the sexual offenders list. He is desperate to clear his name. The petition was lodged with the NSW Attorney-General’s office in February 2015. There has been no response in over three years. A letter by this writer to the A-G on January 10, 2018, asking what the A-G intends to do, has also gone unanswered, as have two follow up requests. Australia may not feel like a failed state to most, and many will say that’s an exaggeration. But ask those who the institutions of state has failed to protect, or those serving long sentences for crimes they didn’t commit. The state has certainly failed them. Andrew L. Urban’s book exploring wrongful convictions, ‘Murder by the Prosecution’, will be published mid-year; he blogs at wrongfulconvictionsreport.org https://www.spectator.co.uk/2018/04/australia-a-failing-state/

At least six of the 39 people found dead in a lorry trailer in Essex may have been from Vietnam. The BBC knows of six Vietnamese families who fear their relatives are among the victims. They include Pham Thi Tra My, 26, who has not been heard from since she sent text messages on Tuesday saying she could not breathe. A man was earlier arrested at Stansted Airport on suspicion of manslaughter and conspiracy to traffic people. The 48-year-old from Northern Ireland is the fourth person to be arrested in connection with the investigation. Two people from Warrington are being held on suspicion of manslaughter and conspiracy to traffic people and the lorry driver is in custody on suspicion of murder. Ms Tra My's brother, Pham Ngoc Tuan, said some of the £30,000 charge for getting his sister to the UK had been paid to people smugglers and her last-known location had been Belgium. ... https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-50185788 Who in their right mind would pay well over a million baht to get into England? If you have that kind of money, there has to be a better way.

And as someone who is about 25% Irish, I agree! Can the funny hats and the stupid behaviour.

I couldn't believe it when I found out that in many states high school kids only have to take one year of P.E. No wonder the military says that only 29% of todays young folks are physically fit to serve in the military. And now you say they can't even drive anymore.

Is New Mexico one of the 57 states?

Cos, what the hell were the Democrats doing holding the inquiry on impeachment in closed sessions with Republicans barred from attending! It should be open to all members of Congress, not just the party that is seeking grounds to impeach the president. The Republicans forced their way, which was the only way they could get in! The Dems cleverly thought they could keep the other party out by holding the inquiry in committees with no Republican members. Can you say rigging the results? Now suppose the situations were reversed. Would the Dems have been happy to be locked out of an important Congtressional inquiries? Like hell they would.

You never know. I have a friend whose father and grandfather both died at age 39. His father's brother did too. He was really worried when he approached 40, but that was more than 20 years ago and he's still around! Think positive.

The banks and businesses that were trashed are owned by China or CCP supporters. Surprise!

Your knowledge of English is far better than my knowledge of German.

Well done, for a change! PORT MORESBY: Papua New Guinea said Thursday it had ordered the indefinite closure of a multi-billion dollar Chinese-owned nickel facility that spewed potentially toxic red slurry into the sea. The Mineral Resources Authority said it had ordered owners of the Ramu Nickel refineryto "shut down its processing operations" as of Monday October 21. The facility is run by the state-owned China Metallurgical Group, which mines and processes nickel, a metal widely used in batteries, including for electric cars. In late August, the plant's mechanism for dealing with slurry failed, sending hazardous liquid into the Bismarck Sea and turning parts the surrounding coastline ochre red. Earlier this year the China Metallurgical Group asked Papua New Guinea officials visiting Beijing to approve plans to expand production capacity. The Mineral Resources Authority now said the company had been "ordered to cease operations because it has failed to adequately" fix a string of defects spotted during the investigation. They included poor spillage containment systems, inadequate maintenance and "incompetency of operators". Ties between Beijing and the resource-rich Melanesian nation have been growing apace, but there have been repeated tensions over standards at some minerals and infrastructure projects. They included poor spillage containment systems, inadequate maintenance and "incompetency of operators". Ties between Beijing and the resource-rich Melanesian nation have been growing apace, but there have been repeated tensions over standards at some minerals and infrastructure projects.

"Raising awareness about safe and good driving behaviour is also important and it can start with students in schools." To the best of my knowledge, there are no driver training classes in Thai secondary schools. It was a required subject when I was in high school, and we learned about the traffic laws, stopping speeds, how an internal combustion engine works etc. Most of us also signed up for hands-on driving training, in which we drove a dual control car on the California freeways, under a qualified teacher's supervision. Maybe it's time that Thailand began such classes, at least in the city schools? p.s. My wife nowadays is a very good driver, but I remember how she was issued a license before she knew how to drive ... simply because she was a civil servants and therefore someone "special".

In his efforts to tackle the country's notorious road slaughter, Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob has come up with a "Big Brother" touch. For the sake of safer roads, he has proposed that Global Positioning System (GPS) trackers be installed in all privately owned vehicles to monitor drivers and punish those violating speed limits and other traffic laws. This is a poorly thought-out proposal. If enforced, it would be an outright violation of individuals' right to privacy and confidentiality, amounting to state surveillance of citizens. On Monday, the minister said he had given the Department of Land Transport (DLT) one year to look into the possibility of installing GPS in private cars and motorbikes. If the policy is adopted after the study, Thailand would be the first country to introduce such a measure, he said. And he is right. Thailand would be the first and probably the only country to let authorities keep tabs on individuals' movements without a court warrant. The minister seems to have mainly focused on the need to monitor speeds, without taking into account another dimension, which is location. If this idea becomes policy, authorities could spy on the whereabouts of all car owners at all times from the moment they leave their house right up until when they arrive at their destination. Additionally, allowing authorities to obtain information on individuals' whereabouts could lead to misuse. Information could be leaked, or used by other state agencies which, for instance, yearn to keep a close watch on dissidents. In making his case, the minister cited the country's current use of GPS trackers in public transport vehicles. But he misses the point. Tracking speeds and locations of buses and vans is allowed since they are public transport service providers. It is a measure to ensure the efficiency and safety of public transport for consumers. On the technical side, the proposed policy would simply not be practical. Currently, there are about 40 million cars and motorbikes registered with the DLT. How could authorities possibly keep track of all of them? In the end, enforcement will likely be done on a random and discriminatory basis. Even if trackers are installed on newly purchased cars as the minister has proposed, the vast number of new vehicles registered each year makes the task impossible. It is also unfair to monitor new cars and let drivers of old cars get away with traffic violations. Even if all cars are installed with GPS trackers, those who want to violate the law could still disable the devices. Mr Saksayam undoubtedly has good intentions in tackling the country's road carnage, but the GPS solution he is proposing is not practical. He should not forget about the cameras already installed on many roads to monitor traffic law violators. Those cameras do help track down lawbreakers, but the road accident rate remains high as speed is not the only culprit. Thailand's road carnage is also caused by bad driving, disobeying traffic laws, weak law enforcement, poor road conditions and drink driving. So the minister needs to start with ensuring that traffic laws are strictly, effectively and thoroughly enforced. He needs to ensure that proper driving lessons are given to people applying for driving licences. Raising awareness about safe and good driving behaviour is also important and it can start with students in schools. There are so many tasks for Mr Saksayam to pursue, and none of them should involve spying on citizens' whereabouts. https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/1777939/gps-tracking-is-big-brother?fbclid=IwAR0HiaeWSWIgcqsdRqOz54IzcqmozYhwlG4LpoVMGKrNrX3wQrKENzXMUo0#cxrecs_s