Watch 24 S8E24: Day 8: 3:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. The 2nd part of the two hour series finale of our favorite action and suspense drama show.
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(CNN) — The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday the federal government has the power to keep some sex offenders behind bars indefinitely after they have served their sentences if officials determine those inmates may prove “sexually dangerous” in the future. “The federal government, as custodian of its prisoners, has the constitutional power to act in order to protect nearby (and other) communities from the danger such prisoners may pose,” Justice Stephen Breyer wrote for the 7-2 majority. At issue was the constitutionality of federal “civil commitment” for sex offenders who are nearing the end of their confinement or who are considered too mentally incompetent to stand trial. The main plaintiff in the case, Graydon Comstock, was certified as dangerous six days before his 37-month federal prison term for processing child pornography was to end. Comstock and the others filing suit remain confined at Butner Federal Correctional Complex near Raleigh, North Carolina. Three other inmates who filed suit served prison terms of three to eight years for offenses ranging from child pornography to sexual abuse of a minor. Another was charged with child sex abuse but was declared mentally incompetent to face trial. All were set to be released nearly three years ago, but government appeals have blocked their freedom. The government says about 83 people are being held under the civil commitment program. Corrections officials and prosecutors determined the men remained a risk for further sexually deviant behavior if freed. The inmates' attorneys maintain the continued imprisonment violates their constitutional right of due process and argue Congress overstepped its power by allowing inmates to be held for certain crimes that normally would fall under the jurisdiction of state courts. The law in question is the 2006 Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, which includes a provision allowing indefinite confinement of sex offenders. A federal appeals court in Richmond, Virginia, ruled lawmakers had overstepped their authority by passing it, prompting the current high court appeal. “The statute is a 'necessary and proper' means of exercising the federal authority that permits Congress to create federal criminal laws, to punish their violation, to imprison violators, to provide appropriately for those imprisoned and to maintain the security of those who are not imprisoned but who may be affected by the federal imprisonment of others,” Breyer wrote. Breyer equated the federal civil commitment law to Congress' long-standing authority to provide mental health care to prisoners in its custody, if they might prove dangerous, “whether sexually or otherwise.” In dissent, Justice Clarence Thomas said the federal government overstepped its bounds. “Congress' power, however, is fixed by the Constitution,” Thomas wrote. “It does not expand merely to suit the states' policy preferences, or to allow state officials to avoid difficult choices regarding the allocation of state funds.” He was joined by Justice Antonin Scalia. added by: TimALoftis
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Jacob, Isabella are top male/female names, and Cullen makes a strong showing. By Kara Warner Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner in “Eclipse” Photo: Summit Entertainment The popularity of “Twilight,” “Vampire Diaries” and other similarly themed pop-culture phenomena has certainly left a deep mark on the entertainment world — but has it left a more literal impression on generations to come? According to the recently released Social Security Administration’s annual “Popular Baby Names” list, it seems that parents have been naming their newborns after “Twilight” characters. According to the report, which tracked the most popular baby names of 2009, the top two names for male and female babies were Jacob and Isabella, which also happen to be the names of two of the main characters in the “Twilight” saga, Jacob Black and Bella Swan, respectively. Both names have been “popular” — in or close to the top 10 — for several years (Jacob has been in the top spot for 11 years), but it is the increased popularity of the name Cullen (after Meyer’s beloved Edward) at #485, having jumped 297 spots from #782 in 2008, that raises the eyebrow. It is also surprising that the first name of Bella’s paramour, Edward, didn’t crack the top 50. (It came in at #137 in popularity for 2009). The 10 most popular girls’ names, in order, are: Isabella, Emma, Olivia, Sophia, Ava, Emily, Madison, Abigail, Chloe and Mia. The 10 most popular boys’ name, also in order, are: Jacob, Ethan, Michael, Alexander, William, Joshua, Daniel, Jayden, Noah and Anthony. Would you name your child after a “Twilight” character? Or any fictional character, for that matter? And what will these kids think of their names in 15-20 years, once they’re old enough to understand what inspired their parents’ choices? Related Videos The Second ‘The Twilight Saga: Eclipse’ Trailer Premieres Related Photos ‘The Twilight Saga: Eclipse’
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‘Twilight’ Leaves Its Mark On ‘Popular Baby Names’ List
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A senior UN official has said that the Democratic Republic of Congo is “the rape capital of the world.” The UN’s representative on sexual violence in conflict Margot Wallstrom encourages the Security Council to punish the perpetrators. With impunity being the rule rather than the exception, rape has remained a dominant feature on the continuous conflict in eastern DR Congo. During the fight in 2009, more than 8,000 women were raped. According to Wallstrom, if women continue to suffer sexual violence, it is not because the law is inadequate to protect them, but because it is inadequately enforced. Women have no rights, if those who violate their rights go unpunished. The UN mission in DR Congo has been trying to handle the problem by escorting women on their way to market, developing early warning systems and working with local officials. A research on sexual violence in DR Congo’s eastern South Kivu province was conducted in April and it produced shocking findings. The report done by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative reflects that about 60% of rape victims in South Kivu were gang raped by armed men. More than half of the assault took place in the victim’s residence and an increasing number of attacks were being carried out by civilians. United Nation Official Calls Democratic Republic of Congo “Rape Capital Of The World” is a post from: Daily World Buzz Continue reading
Osama bin Laden had no idea the U.S. would hit al-Qaida as hard as it has since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, a former bin Laden associate tells WTOP in an exclusive interview. “I'm 100 percent sure they had no clue about what was going to happen,” says Noman Benotman, who was head of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group in the summer of 2000. “What happened after the 11th of September was beyond their imagination, ” says Benotman, who adds that al-Qaida thought the U.S. was a “paper tiger.” Sitting on the floor at bin Laden's compound in Kandahar, Afghanistan during a meeting the summer before the attacks, Benotman shocked bin Laden and more than 200 other international jihadist leaders by telling the al-Qaida leader his jihadi strategy was “a total failure.” Benotman, a highly regarded associate of bin Laden's at the time, says he surprised him again by rebuffing a plea for help. “He asked for my help. Bin Laden asked me personally, you know. I responded immediately on the spot …'No. I'm not going to help you.'” Bin Laden was stunned. “Because he used to like to sit next to me, you know. My right hand side,” Benotman says. The seating location meant he was someone bin Laden respected. Benotman says he spoke frankly because his reputation allowed him to. “I've spent time in the front line engaging with the enemy more than bin Laden and [Ayman Al-]Zawahiri and the entire group of al-Qaida.” Zawahiri laughed when he warned those at the 2000 meeting that the U.S. response would be swift, hard and long, Benotman says. Benotman attributes al-Qaida's overconfident attitude to the United States' response to al-Qaida attacks on its in embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in 1998. Zawahiri, according to Benotman, expected only a missile attack. “When they attacked the embassies in East Africa, they estimated the U.S. launched 75 cruise missiles and eight people got killed. So they said this time, maybe they will launch 200 and they laughed about this.” Benotman's assessment is backed up by a former Central Intelligence Agency officer, who was active in the fight against al-Qaida. The officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, says “several captured terrorists have said publicly that al-Qaida never expected the towers to fall. Their goal was to frighten people and impact the U.S. economy, so they really didn't plan for the massive response the U.S. launched.” Bin Laden got more than one warning, says Benotman. “I told him several times before the Sept. 11th attacks that if you do this, the U.S. is going to retaliate in a very harsh way. At least twice I reminded him about the serious orders he was given by Mullah Omar, the leader of the Afghan Taliban to stop fighting the U.S., and he disobeyed the order.” Now living in London and openly campaigning against organizations like al-Qaida, Benotman – according to some – is simply trying to avoid going to jail in his native Libya. “I would like to believe that bin Laden was shocked and dismayed by what we did after 9/11, but I come hard up against an awful lot of evidence that that's exactly what he wanted,” says Michael Scheuer, former head of the CIA's Osama bin Laden unit. Scheuer questions whether Benotman is speaking out freely. “Clearly, Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi is holding a hammer over his head,” Scheuer says, noting some of Benotman's ex-LIFG colleagues are in prison and Benotman still has relatives in Libya. Benotman, who still believes in the commitment Jihad requires, laughs at the notion he's afraid of being arrested. “I'm not afraid of the Americans or any other country. My speaking out is a conscious decision and it's based on my entire experience and understanding of jihadism.” Not only does Benotman reject al-Qaida's ideology, but he says “killing civilians is a crime. I don't care if it's Jews, Christians, Muslims or anyone. It's a crime and we shouldn't help them (al Qaida).” added by: onemalefla
Coast Guard officials are considering setting the Gulf of Mexico oil slick on fire as it moved Tuesday to within 20 miles of sensitive ecological areas in the Mississippi River Delta. Officials say it could become one of worst spills in U.S. history. Oil is still leaking at a rate of about 42,000 gallons a day from the well, located some 50 miles off the coast of Louisiana beneath a drill rig that exploded and sank last week. Eleven workers are still missing following the incident, and are presumed dead. BP, the well's owner, is racing to shut off the well using eight remote controlled submarines, but has had no luck as of yet. “If we don't secure the well, this could be one of the most serious oil spills in U.S. history,” Coast Guard Rear Admiral Mary Landry, head of a joint response task force, said at a press conference Tuesday afternoon. Twenty miles is the closest the slick has come to land so far. Officials said oil slicks are sometimes set on fire, especially when they are near sensitive marsh areas where heavy equipment used to clean the oil may cause more harm than good. If the slick is set on fire, it would be a controlled burn using fire-proof booms, and only done during the day, said Landry. It could begin as early as Wednesday. The spill, measured from end to end, stretched as wide as 42 miles by 80 miles, although oil isn't necessarily covering that entire area. Most of the slick is a thin sheen on the water's surface, ranging in thickness from a couple of molecules to the equivalent of a layer of paint. About 3% of it is a heavy, pudding-like crude oil. At its current flow rate would take over 260 days to rival the Exxon Valdez disaster, which discharged some 11 million gallons into Alaska's Price William Sound. Still, even if it never compares to the Exxon Valdes spill's size, if it makes landfall it'll have serious ecological repercussions NOT THE ANSWER – http://oilonthebeach.blogspot.com/ Protect Florida's Beaches from Oil Driling – www.protectfloridasbeaches.org http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/jun/15/bill-nelson/sen-b… http://money.cnn.com/2010/04/27/news/economy/oil_rig_gulf/index.htm added by: julesrs007
Eco-warriors do more than just chase down whaling ships or chain themselves to redwood trees; an equally vicious battle is taking place on Capitol Hill. Lobbyists, protesters and legislators descend on Washington, D.C. to hash out the merits of the controversial American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, which some say is the first step in reversing global warming, while other are convinced it's the death knell for the U.S. economy. This is the conclusion of our four part web series where we follow this controversial bill through the House of Representatives. What does it take to pass climate legislation? What deals need to be cut? What parliamentary tricks have to be pulled? added by: Adam_Yamaguchi
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Eco-warriors do more than just chase down whaling ships or chain themselves to redwood trees; an equally vicious battle is taking place on Capitol Hill. Lobbyists, protesters and legislators descend on Washington, D.C. to hash out the merits of the controversial American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, which some say is the first step in reversing global warming, while other are convinced it's the death knell for the U.S. economy. This is Part 3 in a four part web series where we follow this controversial bill through the House of Representatives. What does it take to pass climate legislation? What deals need to be cut? What parliamentary tricks have to be pulled? The conclusion will be posted online tomorrow at 3ET/12 PT. added by: JD_Buffalo
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Tagged bill-through, does-it-take, energy, equally-vicious, House, pass-climate, posted-online, redwood-trees, security, ships-or-chain, tomorrow-at-3et
Eco-warriors do more than just chase down whaling ships or chain themselves to redwood trees; an equally vicious battle is taking place on Capitol Hill. Lobbyists, protesters and legislators descend on Washington, D.C. to hash out the merits of the controversial American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, which some say is the first step in reversing global warming, while other are convinced it's the death knell for the U.S. economy. This is Part 1 in a four part web series where we follow this controversial bill through the House of Representatives. What does it take to pass climate legislation? What deals need to be cut? What parliamentary tricks have to be pulled? The full 30 minute documentary airs tonight on Current TV at 9:30pm. Part 2 will be posted online tomorrow. added by: JD_Buffalo
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Tagged bennyhollywood, controversial, current, equally-vicious, Hollywood, House, pass-climate, posted-online, redwood-trees, security, ships-or-chain, taking-place, TMZ
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