• Criminals,  Politics

    France Riot Watch: Police Act Amid Fears Riots Will Reignite in Paris

    A fireman tries to put out a burning car set ablaze by rioters in ‘La Reynerie’, a popular neighbourhood of Toulouse, south western France. Amid fears that suburban rioters might be planning to bring violence into the capital over a holiday weekend, French police imposed a short-term ban on public meetings in Paris.

    The Financial Times has Police act amid fears riots will reignite in Paris

    Paris police have banned groups of potential troublemakers from congregating in the city on Saturday after warning that France’s flagging suburban riots could reignite in the heart of the capital.

    As France marked the end of the first world war with a holiday on Friday, the country entered a long weekend nervously hoping that the wave of arson that has scarred its poorest housing estates for more than two weeks would continue to subside following the adoption of emergency measures such as curfews earlier this week.

    However, late Friday afternoon Paris police warned that internet and mobile telephone text messages suggested violent troublemakers were aiming to target Paris on Saturday.

    Hummmm doubtful that such extreme measures would be needed in the USA because early measures to prevent the violence would have occurred long before.

    Dominique de Villepin, prime minister, declared a state of emergency on Tuesday after France experienced its worst civil unrest in four decades.

    The police on Friday used the powers to issue a ban on any gathering of people in the city that could, in their eyes, provoke civil disorder.

    The ban runs from 10am Saturday to 8am on Sunday. The number of police on the streets will also be reinforced. Violators of the ban will be liable to imprisonment of up to two months, and/or a fine of €3,750 ($4,400, £2,500).

    Police said that what constituted gatherings likely to “provoke” disorder would vary according to circumstances. On Thursday, Paris police banned the sale of petrol in jerrycans at service stations

    Unequal application of the law vis a vis the “right to assemble” will spell danger to the French.

    Are any of the political parties going to press parliament for a NO confidence vote on the Chirac and de Villepin government?

    Stay tuned….. violence may erupt again……

  • Arnold Schwarzenegger,  California,  Election 2006

    California Election 2006 Watch: Schwarzenegger Drops His Fight with California Nurses

    California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger speaks at a news conference in Sacramento, California, November 10, 2005.

    The ASSociated Press has Schwarzenegger Drops Nurse-Staffing Fight

    Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has ended a yearlong fight with California nurses over hospital staffing levels after a bitter feud that escalated when he boasted, “I’m kicking their butts.”

    Acting on behalf of the governor, Attorney General Bill Lockyer filed a motion late Thursday ending a legal battle over a new state rule requiring one nurse for every five patients. For the past year, Schwarzenegger had been trying to block the rule in favor of a 1-to-6 ratio.

    Schwarzenegger’s office referred calls on the matter to the state
    Department of Health and Human Services, where spokeswoman Sabrina Demayo Lockhart said that in the 10 months the 1-to-5 rule has been in place, hospitals have been able to adapt, “so we’re going to move forward.”

    The Governator has become an Accomodator.

    Look for more hospital emergency rooms to close because hospitals will NOT be able to staff them at the California mandated 1:5 ratio and YOUR ambulance being turned away from a hospital because a nurse called in sick.

    Nurses union Executive Director Rose Ann DeMoro called the decision “an enormous victory” because Schwarzenegger “is going to stop going after registered nurses and patient ratios.”

    The governor’s action came two days after California voters rejected all of his proposed government-overhaul initiatives and on the same day he took “full responsibility” for the election debacle.

    The 1-to-5 staffing ratio was not among the issues decided at the ballot box Tuesday but has been a long-sought goal of the 60,000-member California Nurses Association. Schwarzenegger sided with the hospital industry in opposing the 1-to-5 ratio, citing the added financial burden and the nation’s nursing shortage.

    Tensions between the governor and the nurses union escalated in December 2004, when he labeled the union a special interest and said he was “kicking their butts.”

    Since then, the union has attacked Schwarzenegger in TV commercials, on freeway billboards and at nearly every public event he held, including fundraisers in New York and Boston.

    Registered nurses from Chicago protest against California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger outside Fenway Park before the start of the Rolling Stones concert in Boston, Massachusetts, August 21, 2005. Nurses gathered in Boston to protest against Schwarzenegger who was attending a Rolling Stones concert in Fenway Park. The nurses were protesting against proposed ballot initiatives in California.

    So, as Californians healthcare suffers and hospitals and clinics close perhaps they will remember that the Governor acquiesced his responsibilities so he would no longer have to anticipate election year protests.

    Pitiful…..you know, Governor, if you were going to change this policy why didn’t you do it last summer before the California Special Election campaign began? If it was bad policy then, what has changed? Well, we know………

    Oh, and another question, Governor……there is a nursing shortage in California.

    Where are these nurses coming from?

    NA Director Rose Ann DeMoro celebrates victorious “Aloha Arnold Party” at Trader Vic’s Restaurant in the Beverly Hilton on election night. View more photos.

    Technorati Tags: , , ,

  • Blogosphere,  Education,  Politics

    The FLAP: Paul Deignan v. Wallace Hettle and Bitch Ph.D

    Patterico has Scumbag of the Day: Wally Hettle

    Protein Widsom has most of the FLAP with What repercussions? (updated to include Hettle’s email to Deignan’s advisor)

    Read both of these posts and the comments. Read all of them.

    Paul Deignan’s site, Info Theory has the plaintiff’s complaint.

    Bitch Ph.D will be the defendant.

    Flap is late to post on this matter and saw the FLAP developing over the week when the California Special Election was happening and Flap was busy drilling for dollars.

    Here is the text of the letter that started it all.

    Received from either Drs. Galen B. King and Peter H. Meckl of Purdue University.

    Yesterday and last night Paul Deignan spent in “trolling” a feminist academic web site with disruptive and abusive comments.

    This is a highly visible liberal site. He was banned, but used his computer expertise to defeat the ban and taunt the host of the site.

    This kind of behavior is not unheard of on the net. But Mr. Deignan chose to do this action from a homepage that claims you as a dissertation adviser.

    Mr. Deignan has a right to free speech. He shouldn’t disrupt the discussions of others–it is highly unprofessional. And it is linked to your name.

    Might you please advise him to exercise a little discretion in the future. As matters stand, Mr. Deignan appears to be doing a bit more politicking than mechanical engineering.

    Thank you,

    Wallace
    Hettle

    The latest in Paul Deignan’s response to Wally Hettle’s letter is Text of the Hettle E-Mail

    So, what is the FLAP?

    Paul Deignan says he has been defamed by Wally Hettle. And he claims he has been damaged.

    Wally Hettle says Paul Deignan is “unprofessional” and rats him out to his major advisors of his mechanical engineer department at Purdue University.

    One of Paul’s advisors, Galen King, “Yes, we received an e-mail,” King confirmed on Wednesday. “It said that Paul was exceeding his bounds, if you will, on what is essentially a private site. He’s been asked to refrain, at least until he’s [graduated from Purdue].”

    Flap’s take on the matter is disappointment, surprise and outrage (so here we go):

    1. Surprised that Paul, in the first place, would bother with Bitch Ph.D in the first place. Flap has found leftie sites very unhospitable to rationale argument and debate. So, Paul don’t bother them with your arguments – they don’t want to listen.

    2. Disappointed at Galen King saying anything about the matter. What Paul does in his free time is his own business and does not reflect upon you or Purdue University. This being said by a parent who has had three children (one graduate alumna) attend Purdue University and who has paid many dollars to your university in tuition and fees. Freedom of speech applies to both mechanical engineering as to dentistry as to politics. Therefore, buzz out and Flap will send you an e-mail and call you on Monday (today being Veterans Day holiday) to let you know how I feel – perhaps you may even care.

    Galen King

    3. Outraged that Wallace (Wally) Hettle would write Paul Deignan’s advisors and tattle-telling, accusing Paul of inappropriate behavior and essentially denigrating Paul’s character. Wally is a HORSES ASS. And Flap will tell him so by telephone and e-mail – again on Monday since today is a holiday. There is little doubt that Wally did NOT agree with Paul’s political philosophy and wanted to put a monkey-wrench into Paul’s ability to voice his opinions. Wally wanted to HARM Paul. Flap will publish the good Dr. Hettle’s contact details so others who are predisposed can voice their displeasure. Like Patterico, Flap has NO problems releasing this information:

    Wallace Hettle
    wallace.hettle@uni.edu
    liberalwally@yahoo.com
    SEERLEY HALL 316
    UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA
    CEDAR FALLS, IA 50614-0701
    (319) 273-2942

    Here are Dr. Wally’s academic contact details:

    Instructional Faculty

    Wallace A. Hettle


    History
    University of Northern Iowa

    Office: SRL 316
    Phone: 319-273-2942
    Fax: 319-273-582
    wallace.hettle@uni.edu



    U.S. History


    B.A. and Ph.D., History, Northwestern University


    Civil War, 19th Century Southern U.S.


    The Peculiar Democracy: Southern Democrats in Peace and Civil War (Univ. of Georgia Press, 2001)

    Wallace Hettle’s Department Head is Robert F. Martin and his details are here.

    The Deans of the College are here:

    CSBS Dean and Associate Dean

    College of Social and Behavioral Sciences Dean
    Julia Wallace
    Sabin 117
    Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0403
    phone: (319) 273-2221
    fax: (319) 273 – 2222


    College of Social and Behavioral Sciences Associate Dean
    Phyllis Baker
    Sabin 121a
    Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0403
    phone: (319) 273-2109
    fax: (319) 273 – 2222

    And the equivalent of the University President is

    The Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs is James Lubker, Ph.D.
    Seerley 001
    (319) 273-2517
    (319) 273-3153 (FAX)

    Soooooo if you are predisposed to let these folks know about the FLAP and the activities of one of their faculty members – which sounds to Flap a lot more politicing, meddling, intimidation and intentional unprofessional conduct and alot LESS history of the Civil War give them a write, fax, e-mail or telephone call.

    Flap knows you will be glad you did.

  • Criminals,  Politics

    France Riot Watch: Security Is Tightened in Central Paris

    French President Jacques Chirac, foreground, and Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, stand at attention at the Arc de Triomphe monument in Paris, during ceremonies marking the 87th anniversary of the World War I armistice, in Paris, Friday, Nov. 11, 2005.

    The ASSociated Press has Security Is Tightened in Central Paris

    Police tightened security in central Paris on Friday with riot forces and bomb squads along the Champs-Elysees, and angry residents of riot-torn suburbs staged a sit-in Friday near the Eiffel Tower, calling for an end to more than two weeks of arson and vandalism across France.

    The moves came as the wave of violence that spread outward from Paris’s impoverished outlying neighborhoods appeared to be calming in other French cities but remained persistent in the capital.

    The weak, slow response of the Chirac government to quell the violence led to the ever escalating violence.

    Why did they wait?

    In suburban Paris, however, the number of car burnings increased to 111, from 84 the night before.

    “We have seen a continued drop beyond Paris, but persistence near the capital,” national police spokesman Patrick Hamon said. “We cannot yet claim victory. The drop remains fragile.”

    Flap hopes the violence ends but the ineffectual government response will be troubling to all of Europe for years to come.